Scope of doctor’s reviews
The professional competences of the medical service providers, which usually can only be judged partly by the end users, are influenced by training and development, practical activities and patients’ experiences. The doctor’s review on DocApp includes especially characteristics of the person and his communication, service criteria such as credibility, contact and communication with patients, friendliness, availability and the organisation of the doctor’s office.
Experience reports published on DocApp reflect subjective feelings and opinions of patients. A direct comparison of the professional competences of the reviewed doctors is only partly possible. The doctor’s reviews can additionally support other patients as a “recommendation” in search of the right medical contact.
Quality assurance
The reviews are based on a profound questionnaire. DocApp has implemented different instruments for the quality assurance of the contents of the reviews, in order to be able to guarantee a compliant doctor’s review. All principles and requirements of DocApp must be fulfilled, before the given review is being activated and made accessible to the public.
The encrypted registration procedure of DocApp protects against possible manipulations, such as self- or multiple reviews, and against reviews, which are not authentic. The reviews on DocApp are anonymised. As a matter of course, DocApp meets the legal data protection regulations.
1) Premise for making a review
Each patient, who wants to make a review on DocApp, has to get registered with a valid email address and mobile number. The data are needed for the activation code via SMS, which can be used to activate the review. The SMS-check is encrypted and anonymised. Reviews, which are not activated, do not get published by DocApp.
2) Verification of the review
The reviews are being analysed by the examination system of DocApp, before they get published. If irregularities or infringements of the usage guidelines of DocApp are noticed, the doctor’s review is being checked analogously in an additional process. In order to exclude manipulations or infringements of the usage guidelines, DocApp reserves the right to remove reviews at any time and without giving reasons.
3) Informing the reviewed doctor
A doctor or dentist rated on DocApp gets promptly informed about a review on his profile. In this way, the doctor gets the chance to comment on the review on DocApp. A disputed review can be announced on DocApp at any time.
Every registered service provider is free to complain about reviews assigned to his profile, as far as his doubts on the credibility of the review are justified. In case of a complaint, the review is being proven by DocApp. If the doubts of the service provider are confirmed, the review is no longer being published. Otherwise it gets activated on the website again. DocApp reserves the right to mention reviews in the service provider’s profile.
Moreover, the service provider can apply on DocApp, to get the review function, which is associated with his profile, set on “neutral”. As a result, end users cannot make a review on the doctor’s profile. DocApp reserves the right to mark the profile of the service provider accordingly.
Usage guidelines
The aim of doctor’s reviews on DocApp are independent and objective experience reports with an additional value for all end users and patients. Additionally, reviews shall support the doctor or dentist in terms of optimizing processes of examination and treatment.
It is quite easy to write a review after a positive visit to the doctor. In the reverse case, constructive and fair criticism is more challenging.
1) Principles of a doctor’s review on DocApp
Following principles must be met, in order to have a doctor’s review published on DocApp:
a) DocApp respects the end user’s “principle of the freedom of expression” and the medical service providers’ “principle of personal rights”.
b) Reviews on DocApp shall be balanced and fair according to the “principle of fairness”. Insulting reviews do not meet the premises required for a publication on DocApp.
c) According to the “principle of comprehensibility”, reviews on DocApp shall be easy to understand. Complicated reviews do not meet the premises required for a publication on DocApp.
d) According to the “principle of sophistication”, reviews on DocApp shall be meaningful. Uniform ratings (i.e. only maximum ratings) of the different criteria weaken the validity of a review and are of no additional value for other patients.
2) Exclusion criteria for a doctor’s review on DocApp
Following requirements must be met by a doctor’s review on DocApp in order to be published:
a) Only “real patients”, who have been treated by a medical service provider, can rate a doctor or dentist.
A treatment is defined as a therapeutical contact with a doctor. Preliminary investigations and conversations with the doctor are also classified as treatment. Parents of children and teenagers, or active accompanying persons of patients, who cannot give evidence themselves due to their age or symptoms, are classified as representatives of patients as well.
b) Insults, defamations and discriminating reviews and descriptions are not being published. Not clearly formulated reviews, advertisement, etc. are not being published either. Reviews of dubious senders are being proven and deleted, if necessary.
c) Only treatments, which are not longer than 24 months ago, are being considered as meaningful reviews. Reviews, which have been written more than two years ago, get archived and are no longer being considered for the review.
d) No multiple reviews: Each patient can only rate the same doctor or dentist once. All multiple reviews do not get published.
e) No self-promotion: A doctor or dentist must not review himself. Even reviews by courtesy of employees, relatives, colleagues and service providers of the doctor are not being published.
f) No legal or financial disputes: Reviews in connection with legal disputes (e.g. false diagnoses or mistreatments) between patients and doctors, as well as reviews in connection with disputes concerning costs, are not being published.
3) Adjustment and exclusion of reviews
DocApp reserves the right to shorten, delete or adjust parts of reviews, in order to publish as many contents as possible after the verification of the doctor’s review.
All reviews, which do not meet the requirements of DocApp, do not get published, without informing the writer. Moreover, DocApp reserves the right to delete reviews at any time and without giving reasons. DocApp reserves the right to take legal actions in case of repeated manipulations or violations of the requirements of the reviews.
4) Amendments of the usage guidelines for the doctor’s review
The DocApp Switzerland AG reserves the right to change the usage guidelines for the doctor’s review at any time and without giving reasons. In case of extensive changes or additions of the usage guidelines, the medical service providers and end users get informed about the modified passages in a suitable manner. They come into force after the expiration of the deadline mentioned in the notification.
