Romanians no longer choose their doctors after recommendations from friends and relatives, but by reviews. What qualities do they want to have their doctors

Health is an extremely important thing, so when We have a problem we want for us and those who are our dear most good doctor in one specialty or another. And if until yesterday I call on Recommendations from friends and relatives today, more and more patients It is oriented by the reviews a doctor has. With an experience in collecting feedback from patients over 13 years and over one million asset feedback, the private health network Regina Maria has conducted a survey among how they choose their doctor. Dr. Nirvana Georgescu, director of patient quality and safety division in the frame of the Private Health Network Regina Mariatalks about the results of this survey conducted on more than 2,600 patients, but also about the efforts to raise the quality of medical services to international standards.

The review (note) that a doctor has is a very important criterion that causes a patient to seek a medical consultation with that professional, shows the results of the recently conducted survey in the patients' database of Regina Maria. Thus, out of a total of 2,606 respondents, 1,112, that is about 43%, they said they choose their doctor according to the note, as it appears on the site Regina Maria. The next criterion after which the respondents stated that they choose their doctor was based on the recommendations from friends and family – respectively 491 patients. The recommendation from the family doctor counted in this choice for 454 patients.

The analysis of the answers also pointed out that almost half of the respondents-respectively 1,274, representing 49%-always used the notes displayed on the Queen Maria site when they decided to choose a doctor or another, while 40%, ie 1,042 patients, only used them. The proportion of patients who said they never used this scoring system was only 11%, respectively 290 patients.

The analysis also shows that in the doctor's choice, the grades are very important for 48% of the patients, while only 7% consider them a little important. For a proportion of 44% of patients these notes are considered to be quite important.

From the patients' written feedback, between 2020-2025, it turned out that their favorite doctors are the kind, professional-feature associated with trust and rigor-but also those who give them clear explanations and in their meaning, who have patience with them and listen carefully.

“Professionalism is a mean word that patients use as a sign of total confidence. This does not mean only medical expertise, but a combination of safety, rigor and attitude. It is perceived as the foundation of a fair and efficient relationship,” comments Dr. Nirvana Georgescu.

In the 13 years of implementation, the review system from Regina Maria has exceeded one million reviews, the average note granted by patients being 9.65. For patients Queen Maria the note related to each doctor is a very important criterion after which they choose the specialist to whom they will be addressed for medical consultation.

The conclusions of feedback from patients

The most common reasons for satisfaction of patients, as evidenced by the analysis of over 22,000 comments, from 2020-2025 were those related to the kindness and positive attitude of the doctor; by his professionalism; of clear and empathetic communication; of active patience and listening.

On the other hand, the most common reasons for dissatisfaction are related to the apparent lack of interest in the patient; delays or lack of punctuality; The lack of explanations in relation to the diagnosis, as well as the cold, rushed or distant attitude. Patient feedbacks show that they are not just looking for a correct medical act, but expects the doctor of humanity, listening and the feeling that the doctor “is on their side”.

“It is an expected result. It must be said, however, that the reviews of the patients show only one side of what happens and the performance that a doctor has. When they choose, the patients are based, in addition to the reviews, on the specialty, the years of experience that the doctor has, as well as on his professional performance. You go, ”recommends Dr. Nirvana Georgescu.

From the analysis of the feedback from the patients Regina Maria, it also turned out that for many of them the professionalism of the doctor, but also the politeness and respect are things that matter a lot. The ability of the doctor to be calm, empathetic and to provide clear explanations to patients are also highly appreciated qualities.

“A patient is waiting for her thermals to be validated”

One of the very clear conclusions resulting from the patient's written reviews is that they do not just be consulted, they want to be understood. The most common critics do not concern the diagnosis, but as they felt during the medical act. “A less good note given to the doctor is not for what he performs professionally, but for the way he interacted with the patient. And the patient expects from the doctor not only a solution to the medical problem he has. A patient awaits and his fears are validated, his emotions are validated, awaits understanding.

The perspective of a doctor noted with 9.96: “The patient should not leave the cabinet with doubts or questions to which he did not receive an answer”

Dr. Vlad Drăgoi is a specialist obstetrics-gynecology, with competence in maternal-fetal medicine at Regina Maria (photo), and is noted with 9.96 out of 175 reviews. “I try to explain to the patients, in a simple language, what I see on the ultrasound or what I do not see and why I do not see proper. I seek to have as much patience and to be as much as possible. Because the patient should not leave the cabinet with doubts or questions to which he has not received an answer. the very big note he has.

There is a need for humor, relaxation, naturally, finally, because, adds the doctor, the morphofetal ultrasound is accompanied by some stress at the time of evaluating the future baby: “And it is important that the investigation is an experience that will bring together the couple with the newborn. Thanks to the level of detail that morphology can ensure. ”

In the opinion of Dr. Nirvana Georgescu, there is no doctor incapable of communicating with the patient. “I always told my patients who asked me for a recommendation that there are doctors with different communication patterns and that, at one point, they will find that doctor with whom they will have an open communication channel. Always when we have bad reviews, we go and talk to the doctor, we do everything we can to find out. They shape their behavior in the following interactions with patients, ”explains the director functioning of the system.

However, adds Dr. Vlad Drăgoi, it is hard to believe that a doctor can thank everyone: “We are also people and there are times when we may not be on the same wavelength as the patient. But whether it is a good or less good review, we have to learn from it and let us go. In view that the couple who came to the investigation should not leave with concerns or dissatisfaction with the quality of the medical service ”.

“It is never easy to talk to a doctor and tell him” Let's talk about the patient who gave a bad review “”

In addition, the network offers doctors and communication courses. “There are courses that we have been doing for a long time, in stages. It is especially communication in difficult situations, because, in fact, here is the problem. But, I told you, there is that mechanism of self-regulation of doctors. Think that doctors are people with education, with serious years of studies in the back and it is clear that it is clear that it is time to go. To tell him “Let's talk about the patient who gave a bad review”, “admits the director.

Fortunately, situations in which patients put a bad note to the doctor are not many. “And we have no doctor to systematically there are bad reviews, precisely because, by discussing these things, we find a way to avoid them in the future,” adds Nirvana Georgescu.

Especially since the patients now no longer have the same mentality with the previous generations, says the director: “Before, I was going to the doctor, we listened to what was told and, step by step, I was put into practice. Now, the reviews are a step that you cannot. Now, the patient is expected to be listened to, understanding, and the suffering is not. The recommendations of someone with whom I did not have good communication? ”.

Place and better

What disturbs most often, according to the analysis of the reviews from patients, are aspects such as lack of attention, the cold tone used by the doctor, the rush during the consultation and the lack of empathy.

Even if the average of the notes at Queen Maria is very high, there is a place and better, emphasizes Dr. Nirvana Georgescu. “There are many more detail things about the behavior of the patient who can be improved and we are constantly working, day by day. In addition, there is no unique recipe regarding the relationship of confidence-patient. As a doctor, you must have openness, honesty, transparency, to know, to be empathetic. The problems that the patient wants to solve.

For every patient there is a reliable doctor

The years of medical experience have taken Dr. Nirvana Georgescu to a clear conclusion: “The system implemented to Queen Maria according to the model of the West clinics confirms that the patients choose their doctors and according to the note. This note does not reflect the professional training of the doctor, but rather the interaction that the patient has with the patient, His meaning during the consultation.

The years of medical experience have taken Dr. Nirvana Georgescu to a clear conclusion: “The system implemented to Queen Maria according to the model of the West clinics confirms that the patients choose their doctors and according to the note. This note reflects not the professional training of the doctor, but also the patience, the empathy, Composed from patients allow the improvement of the medical services offered by Queen Maria in an effort to maintain international standards, and studies show that the system is increasingly appreciated by patients in Romania. ”

Article supported by Queen Mary