Background: Patients are increasingly posting online reviews about their medical care, including rating their doctors.
Objective: This article discusses patients' use of social media to comment on and 'rate' their medical care, with a particular focus on what a general practitioner (GP) can do about a negative online review.
Discussion: The vast majority of online reviews about doctors are positive. However, the small proportion of negative online reviews can be a source of great distress to those doctors who are the subject of these reviews. GPs should seek advice before considering whether or not to respond to a negative online review.