Skip to main content
. 2021 Jul 26;23(7):e24229. doi: 10.2196/24229

Table 5.

Ratings by medical specialty.

Medical
specialty
Year Overall (n=127,921 rated physicians; n=1,906,146 ratings)

2010 (n=19,305 rated physicians; n=31,908 ratings) 2011 (n=31,336 rated physicians; n=61,726 ratings) 2012 (n=42,089 rated physicians; n=98,041 ratings) 2013 (n=53,065 rated physicians; n=154,119 ratings) 2014 (n=63,182 rated physicians; n=219,319 ratings) 2015 (n=68,392 rated physicians; n=237,354 ratings) 2016 (n=76,773 rated physicians; n=284,475 ratings) 2017 (n=79,799 rated physicians; n=293,744 ratings) 2018 (n=82,551 rated physicians; n=292,721 ratings) 2019 (n=73,071 rated physicians; n=232,729 ratings)
General practitioner

Rated physicians, n (%) 4891 (25.34) 8161 (26.04) 10,533 (25.03) 13,077 (24.64) 15,767 (24.95) 17,016 (24.88) 19,289 (25.12) 19,586 (24.54) 19,967 (24.19) 16,818 (23.02) 33,414 (26.12)

Number of ratings 7241 (22.69) 13,737 (22.25) 19,210 (19.59) 27,952 (18.14) 39,914 (18.20) 42,188 (17.77) 51,504 (18.10) 51,725 (17.61) 51,682 (17.66) 38,089 (16.37) 343,242 (18.01)

Mean rating (SD)a, n (%) 1.55 (1.21) 1.53 (1.21) 1.54 (1.24) 1.60 (1.33) 1.61 (1.35) 1.66 (1.40) 1.59 (1.35) 1.65 (1.43) 1.73 (1.52) 1.71 (1.51) 1.64 (1.40)
Internist

Rated physicians, n (%) 3230 (16.73) 5286 (16.87) 6897 (16.39) 8779 (16.54) 10,635 (16.83) 11,511 (16.83) 13,374 (17.42) 13,849 (17.35) 14,634 (17.73) 13,306 (18.21) 23,734 (18.55)

Number of ratings, n (%) 5132 (16.08) 9381 (15.20) 13,697 (13.97) 20,853 (13.53) 29,728 (13.55) 31,611 (13.32) 39,619 (13.93) 40,616 (13.83) 41,642 (14.23) 34,620 (14.88) 266,899 (14.00)

Mean rating (SD)a 1.59 (1.27) 1.62 (1.32) 1.62 (1.36) 1.70 (1.44) 1.68 (1.43) 1.70 (1.46) 1.63 (1.40) 1.68 (1.47) 1.73 (1.53) 1.68 (1.49) 1.68 (1.45)
Gynecologist

Rated physicians, n (%) 2157 (11.17) 3568 (11.39) 5084 (12.08) 6291 (11.86) 7163 (11.34) 7602 (11.12) 8165 (10.64) 8445 (10.58) 8653 (10.48) 7650 (10.47) 11,598 (9.07)

Number of ratings, n (%) 3901 (12.23) 7800 (12.64) 13,987 (14.27) 21,880 (14.20) 28,672 (13.07) 29,795 (12.55) 33,862 (11.90) 34,530 (11.76) 33,562 (11.47) 24,925 (10.71) 232,914 (12.22)

Mean rating (SD)a 1.66 (1.36) 1.64 (1.33) 1.69 (1.41) 1.79 (1.49) 1.79 (1.50) 1.80 (1.51) 1.74 (1.49) 1.73 (1.48) 1.76 (1.52) 1.69 (1.47) 1.75 (1.48)
Orthopedist

Rated physicians, n (%) 1662 (8.61) 2548 (8.13) 3333 (7.92) 4007 (7.55) 4629 (7.33) 5051 (7.39) 5579 (7.27) 5907 (7.40) 6160 (7.46) 5894 (8.07) 8022 (6.27)

Number of ratings, n (%) 3412 (10.69) 6836 (11.07) 11,020 (11.24) 17,805 (11.55) 25,714 (11.72) 28,876 (12.17) 34,242 (12.04) 36,416 (12.40) 35,564 (12.15) 29,596 (12.72) 229,481 (12.04)

Mean rating (SD)a 2.08 (1.67) 2.06 (1.67) 2.12 (1.75) 2.15 (1.78) 2.05 (1.72) 1.93 (1.65) 1.82 (1.58) 1.80 (1.57) 1.82 (1.60) 1.70 (1.52) 1.89 (1.63)
Dermatologist (including venereologist)

Rated physicians, n (%) 855 (4.43) 1354 (4.32) 1947 (4.63) 2467 (4.65) 2811 (4.45) 3003 (4.39) 3229 (4.21) 3415 (4.28) 3562 (4.31) 3232 (4.42) 4517 (3.53)

Number of ratings, n (%) 1563 (4.90) 3199 (5.18) 5811 (5.93) 10,461 (6.79) 14,991 (6.84) 15,380 (6.48) 17,513 (6.16) 17,619 (6.00) 17,861 (6.10) 13,355 (5.74) 117,753 (6.18)

Mean rating (SD)a 2.06 (1.64) 2.18 (1.71) 2.35 (1.85) 2.28 (1.82) 2.25 (1.82) 2.16 (1.77) 2.05 (1.73) 2.04 (1.74) 2.04 (1.75) 1.94 (1.71) 2.11 (1.77)
ENTb specialist, otorhinolaryngologist

Rated physicians, n (%) 835 (4.33) 1388 (4.43) 1876 (4.46) 2425 (4.57) 2828 (4.45) 3094 (4.52) 3345 (4.36) 3443 (4.31) 3559 (4.31) 3233 (4.42) 4709 (3.68)

Number of ratings, n (%) 1455 (4.56) 3018 (4.89) 5081 (5.18) 9013 (5.85) 13,494 (6.15) 14,626 (6.16) 17,107 (6.01) 16,914 (5.76) 16,118 (5.51) 13,077 (5.62) 109,903 (5.77)

Mean rating (SD)a 1.81 (1.50) 1.77 (1.46) 1.76 (1.50) 1.83 (1.57) 1.75 (1.51) 1.74 (1.52) 1.64 (1.43) 1.67 (1.47) 1.75 (1.56) 1.71 (1.53) 1.72 (1.51)
General surgery

Rated physicians, n (%) 601 (3.11) 1027 (3.28) 1397 (3.32) 1836 (3.46) 2150 (3.40) 2463 (3.60) 2791 (3.64) 3054 (3.83) 3154 (3.82) 2859 (3.91) 4343 (3.40)

Number of ratings, n (%) 1061 (3.33) 2298 (3.72) 3661 (3.73) 6103 (3.96) 9084 (4.14) 10,908 (4.60) 13,240 (4.65) 14,678 (5.00) 14,162 (4.84) 12,272 (5.27) 87,467 (4.59)

Mean rating (SD)a 1.80 (1.49) 1.84 (1.57) 1.83 (1.59) 1.83 (1.59) 1.84 (1.61) 1.83 (1.62) 1.79 (1.60) 1.81 (1.63) 1.85 (1.67) 1.78 (1.62) 1.82 (1.62)
Pediatrician

Rated physicians, n (%) 976 (5.06) 1570 (5.01) 2321 (5.51) 2996 (5.65) 3574 (5.66) 3891 (5.69) 4230 (5.51) 4315 (5.41) 4364 (5.29) 3620 (4.95) 6555 (5.12)

Number of ratings, n (%) 1529 (4.81) 2795 (4.53) 4941 (5.04) 7831 (5.08) 11,059 (5.04) 11,550 (4.87) 13,004 (4.57) 13,295 (4.53) 12,894 (4.40) 8432 (3.62) 87,330 (4.58)

Mean rating (SD)a 1.68 (1.35) 1.70 (1.38) 1.76 (1.46) 1.88 (1.57) 1.94 (1.61) 1.94 (1.61) 1.90 (1.60) 1.93 (1.64) 2.03 (1.72) 2.01 (1.73) 1.92 (1.62)
Ophthalmologist

Rated physicians, n (%) 722 (3.74) 1225 (3.91) 1772 (4.21) 2366 (4.46) 2922 (4.62) 3131 (4.58) 3528 (4.60) 3809 (4.77) 3916 (4.74) 3520 (4.82) 5935 (4.64)

Number of ratings, n (%) 1085 (3.40) 2079 (3.37) 3570 (3.64) 6173 (4.01) 9154 (4.17) 9754 (4.11) 11,899 (4.18) 12,816 (4.36) 12,887 (4.40) 10,282 (4.41) 79,699 (4.18)

Mean rating (SD)a 2.07 (1.63) 2.09 (1.67) 2.26 (1.81) 2.20 (1.79) 2.15 (1.78) 2.11 (1.76) 1.98 (1.69) 1.97 (1.69) 2.05 (1.77) 1.96 (1.71) 2.06 (1.74)
Urologist

Rated physicians, n (%) 536 (2.78) 830 (2.65) 1221 (2.90) 1511 (2.85) 1820 (2.88) 1914 (2.80) 2139 (2.79) 2301 (2.88) 2415 (2.93) 2140 (2.93) 3329 (2.60)

Number of ratings, n (%) 845 (2.65) 1639 (2.66) 3221 (3.29) 5141 (3.34) 7207 (3.29) 7753 (3.27) 9556 (3.36) 10,264 (3.49) 9612 (3.28) 8465 (3.64) 63,703 (3.34)

Mean rating (SD)a 1.82 (1.54) 1.66 (1.37) 1.57 (1.33) 1.64 (1.41) 1.54 (1.30) 1.50 (1.28) 1.43 (1.20) 1.47 (1.26) 1.49 (1.29) 1.45 (1.25) 1.50 (1.29)
Others

Rated physicians, n (%) 2840 (14.71) 4379 (13.97) 5708 (13.56) 7310 (13.78) 8883 (14.06) 9716 (14.21) 11,104 (14.46) 11,675 (14.63) 12,127 (14.69) 10,799 (14.78) 21,765 (17.01)

Number of ratings, n (%) 4684 (14.68) 8944 (14.49) 13,842 (14.12) 20,907 (13.57) 30,302 (13.82) 34,913 (14.71) 42,929 (15.09) 44,871 (15.28) 46,737 (15.97) 39,626 (17.03) 287,755 (15.10)

Mean rating (SD)a 1.78 (1.48) 1.77 (1.49) 1.68 (1.45) 1.76 (1.54) 1.70 (1.49) 1.65 (1.45) 1.59 (1.40) 1.62 (1.43) 1.66 (1.49) 1.57 (1.41) 1.65 (1.45)

aOn a 6-point scale: 1=very good, 2=good, 3=satisfactory, 4=fair, 5=deficient, and 6=insufficient.

bENT: ear, nose, throat.