Enhancing Patient Choice Through the Development of Physical Therapist Online Biographies

Provider web profiles are becoming popular locations for patients to seek information before their visits. This industry insight assesses patients’ utilization of a physical therapy clinic's website to determine the impact the addition of physical therapist biographies had on patient perception...

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Main Authors: Evan K Perrault PhD, Jeff Stein PT, ATC, DPT
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:Journal of Patient Experience
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/23743735251315050
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author Evan K Perrault PhD
Jeff Stein PT, ATC, DPT
author_facet Evan K Perrault PhD
Jeff Stein PT, ATC, DPT
author_sort Evan K Perrault PhD
collection DOAJ
description Provider web profiles are becoming popular locations for patients to seek information before their visits. This industry insight assesses patients’ utilization of a physical therapy clinic's website to determine the impact the addition of physical therapist biographies had on patient perceptions and physical therapist selection. Forty-six percent of first-time patients ( n  = 786) indicated visiting the clinic's website prior to their visit. After biographies were added, these website visitors rated the website as more helpful, and indicated a greater perception of certainty regarding the services the clinic provides. A greater percentage of website visitors made a purposeful selection of therapist after therapist biographies were posted online than prior to biographies being posted. These findings indicate that improvements to a clinic's website can positively impact patient empowerment in making personal healthcare decisions. Simply adding biographies of physical therapists to clinics’ websites can have significant effects on reducing first-time patients’ uncertainty, as well as providing a greater level of patient-centered care by offering information to empower patients to be more active participants in their healthcare choices.
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spelling doaj-art-37877cfe46d547038311ebe083b08db72025-01-23T13:03:19ZengSAGE PublishingJournal of Patient Experience2374-37432025-01-011210.1177/23743735251315050Enhancing Patient Choice Through the Development of Physical Therapist Online BiographiesEvan K Perrault PhD0Jeff Stein PT, ATC, DPT1 Purdue University – Brian Lamb School of Communication, West Lafayette, IN, USA Purdue University Student Health Services, West Lafayette, IN, USAProvider web profiles are becoming popular locations for patients to seek information before their visits. This industry insight assesses patients’ utilization of a physical therapy clinic's website to determine the impact the addition of physical therapist biographies had on patient perceptions and physical therapist selection. Forty-six percent of first-time patients ( n  = 786) indicated visiting the clinic's website prior to their visit. After biographies were added, these website visitors rated the website as more helpful, and indicated a greater perception of certainty regarding the services the clinic provides. A greater percentage of website visitors made a purposeful selection of therapist after therapist biographies were posted online than prior to biographies being posted. These findings indicate that improvements to a clinic's website can positively impact patient empowerment in making personal healthcare decisions. Simply adding biographies of physical therapists to clinics’ websites can have significant effects on reducing first-time patients’ uncertainty, as well as providing a greater level of patient-centered care by offering information to empower patients to be more active participants in their healthcare choices.https://doi.org/10.1177/23743735251315050
spellingShingle Evan K Perrault PhD
Jeff Stein PT, ATC, DPT
Enhancing Patient Choice Through the Development of Physical Therapist Online Biographies
Journal of Patient Experience
title Enhancing Patient Choice Through the Development of Physical Therapist Online Biographies
title_full Enhancing Patient Choice Through the Development of Physical Therapist Online Biographies
title_fullStr Enhancing Patient Choice Through the Development of Physical Therapist Online Biographies
title_full_unstemmed Enhancing Patient Choice Through the Development of Physical Therapist Online Biographies
title_short Enhancing Patient Choice Through the Development of Physical Therapist Online Biographies
title_sort enhancing patient choice through the development of physical therapist online biographies
url https://doi.org/10.1177/23743735251315050
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