Perceptions of hearing healthcare : a qualitative analysis of satisfied and dissatisfied online reviews

Abstract

Online review platforms have become increasingly popular among healthcare consumers for providing feedback. The aim of this study was to comprehensively describe the hearing healthcare experience through the exploration of satisfied and dissatisfied consumer feedback as reported on Google reviews. This study employed a thematic analysis on open-text responses from Google regarding hearing healthcare clinics across 40 United States (U.S.) cities. Purposive sampling led to a sample that consisted of 500 5-star (satisfied) and 234 1-star (dissatisfied) reviews. Thematic analysis yielded nuanced dimensions of the hearing healthcare consumer experience, grouped into distinct domains, themes, and subthemes. Six common domains –overall experience, clinical outcomes, standard of care, facilities, audiologist, and administrative and support staff - were identified from the satisfied (5-star) and dissatisfied (1-star) consumer reviews. A seventh domain, ‘Inclusivity’, was identified amongst dissatisfied consumer reviews, describing interactions tainted by discrimination based on race, mode of communication, age, and insurance type. The overall experience domain revealed emotions, ranging from contentment and gratitude to dissatisfaction and waning loyalty. The findings highlighted the pivotal contribution of wellbeing, hearing- and product-related outcomes to the consumer experience, whilst consumers also shared expectations for punctuality, person-centred care, affordability of services, and efficient communication. Furthermore, facility quality, cleanliness and general atmosphere of institutions were identified as important ‘exterior’ factors. Professional competence displayed both by audiologists and support staff were prominent themes. Findings emphasize the critical dimensions of satisfied and dissatisfied hearing healthcare consumer experiences, identifying areas for service refinement, informing more person centric service-delivery in hearing healthcare.