Will doctor rating sites improve the quality of care? No

The health minister Ben Bradshaw thinks doctor rating sites are a great idea. “I wouldn’t think of going on holiday without cross referencing at least two guide books and using Trip Advisor. We need to do something similar for the modern generation in health care.”1 If we can ask the eaters of pizzas and drinkers of coffee for their ratings of the staff, why should doctors escape the judgment of their clients? And so, with a nod to patient choice, and no apparent need to consider the evidence, NHS approval of websites to rate your doctor was stamped.

There is a wealth of information about how patient opinion is useful, even essential, when considering how services and research should be shaped and delivered. But the belief that doctor rating sites …