Internet search for the 'best' doctor

Search engines are only vast databases, allow them to search, not necessarily choose for you

- DR HEMANT MADAN

Till a few years ago, search for a doctor was based on human intelligence, largely derived from personal experiences. These days many patients find their doctor on the internet. This is progress. One would imagine that unlike information based on personal experiences, information derived from the internet would not only be rapidly available but also unbiased and true. That may not necessarily be the case.

Patients usually type two criteria in the search bar while looking for a particular specialist: “nearest to me” and “best”. While it is easy for the internet to find a doctor in a particular geographical area (that’s its job), what I find intriguing is how a search engine identifies “the best” doctor”? What are the criteria used by it? How does it factor in the non-measurable human qualities required of a medical professional such as empathy, judgement or communication skills? Does it know whether a doctor possesses the requisite training or skill set required to perform a particular surgery or intervention?

Out of sheer curiosity and a pinch of existential anxiety, I searched the internet about the searcher. How does a search engine decide that one doctor is better than another? Here's what I discovered, and I must warn you, the answer is less about philosophical revelation and more about supermarket economics.