Why patients shouldn't choose doctors based only on online ratings

Anuja JaiswalTNN
Mar 6, 2026 | 19:37 IST
Illustration: Uday Deb

While public rating does bring in some transparency, it also oversimplifies the complexities of medical care, capturing a patient’s experience, not the doctor’s skill. It often ends up risking reputations — unfairly, without context

A few years ago, choosing a doctor meant asking someone you trusted. A neighbour, a colleague, or family friend

would quietly recommend a name. Trust travelled through conversation. Today, it loads in seconds. Type a doctor’s name into a search bar and a number appears: four-point eight; three-point-nine; five stars.
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