In an age where anyone can post their opinion online, no questions asked, many clinics and doctors are finding themselves confronted with negative reviews they feel are unfair. It’s so common, in fact, that more than half of clinics and over one in four individual GPs have experienced this, according to a Healthed survey published last month.

Faced with unfair public criticism, it can be tricky to know what to do. We asked GPs across the country to share what they think is the best way to deal with these occurrences – 1,245 responded and we’ve analysed and collated their advice.

Before we dive in it’s important to note a few things.

First, while a lot of advice and opinion was offered, 287 GPs (23% of respondents) admitted that they felt unsure about how to handle the situation. Uncertainty was the second most common theme in the responses, indicating that many GPs struggle to know what the best approach should be, beyond feeling upset and a bit bullied. So, if you’re not sure how best to handle unfair negative reviews, you’re not alone.

Second, many people offered layered advice, acknowledging the nuances and the need to consider what to do on a case-by-case basis. Third, every situation is different, so contact your medical defence organisation, lawyer, or other trusted advisor before deciding what to do in your particular circumstances.

Now with that out of the way, if you’re curious about what your colleagues’ advice might be, for better or worse, read on.

What’s the best way to handle unfair, negative online reviews?

Here’s what your colleagues are saying:

Ignore them… within reason! (327 GPs or 26% of the total responses)

By far the most common approach GPs recommended was to take it with a grain of salt, ignore and move forward. That said, many did add that this advice hinges on the caveat that your actions were indeed ethical and appropriate, and the review was indeed unfair. Many who suggested the ‘ignore’ approach also cited exceptions and highlighted the need to keep things in perspective, adopt a philosophical attitude and even try to learn from their criticisms. For example:

“Although we should be able to answer back, it is probably best to ignore rather than fuel the fire.”

“Ignore it as long as you are practising according to guidelines and in an ethical way.”

“If any constructive comment, consider it. Otherwise ignore it.”

“If it is a once off thing, probably ignore it as it may be balanced by good reviews.”

“Ignore, as they are outweighed by the good – and sometimes if they are too obtuse ban from the practice.”

“Ignore but obtain feedback from patients regularly.”

“Disregard the comments as they are usually made out of spite and unnecessary anger.”

“Ignore if infrequent.”

“Ignore them. You cannot please every patient.”

Seek support and advice (123 GPs or 10% of respondents)

Many GPs recommended consulting medical defence organisations, senior colleagues or practice management before taking any decisive actions, for example:

“Discuss with supportive colleagues.”

“Seek guidance from supervisors and follow ethical guidelines and practice policies.”

“Talk to colleagues and medical defence for advice.”

“Debrief with peers.”

“Discuss the reviews openly at a meeting of the practitioners in the group, and find out if the negative review is substantiated. If so, the clinic will have to make relevant changes.”

“Contact your Medical Defence Union.”

The appropriate response will vary on a case-by-case basis, notes Kate Gillman, head of the Medico-legal Advisory Service at Avant. She runs through some of the key considerations that might factor into your decision in this article.

Communicate with the patient (118 GPs or 9% of respondents)

Some GPs suggested to directly reach out to the patient to understand their concerns and resolve misunderstandings:

“Contact the patient if possible to explore and address their concerns.”

“Talk to the patient directly if they are open and reasonable with communication.”

“Contact patient and discuss it with them in a calm, non-adversarial manner”

“They should be dealt with by someone in management rather than the doctor to create a “wall” between complainant and doctor and to better diffuse tension.”

“Do not reply to online comments; reach out to the patient in person to address the issue if they would like to talk.”

“Firstly sit down with the patient and discuss why they felt that way”

Medical defence organisation Avant advises that discussing the complaint offline with the patient can be appropriate, but it’s important to consider the nature of the comments and how well you know the person. “There is a risk that contacting them could escalate the situation, but in other situations this approach can be effective at resolving it quickly,” they explain.

Ask practice manager to intervene (101 GPs or 8% of respondents)

About 8% of the GPs suggested having their practice manager respond—and in some cases review the facts to see if anything could be done differently.

“Ask practice manager to reach out to the patient.”

“Our practice manager and principal contact the disgruntled patient and try and resolve their concerns ASAP.”

“Practice manager needs to send the appropriate complaint form to the patient to follow up.”

“Involve practice manger to investigate why it happened and contact the patient if possible.”

“Depends on what the review states. If it is minor, the practice manager comments online and asks patients to get in touch with her to discuss the review. If it is more serious, more serious action may need to be taken.”

Again, the details of the specific situation matter, according to Avant. They say having the practice manager respond to administrative matters such as lengthy waits or parking can be effective – but it’s best to do this soon after the review was written, and take care as you respond (they offer some specific suggestions to reduce the risk of this going badly here.)

Self-reflect and look for opportunities to improve (95 GPs)

Another 8% of the respondents said that they saw negative reviews as an opportunity for introspection and personal or practice-wide improvements.

“Reflect and improve if fair and aim to earn positive reviews to offset the inevitable negatives.”

“Look at what was said and reflect as to whether it could be considered a fair call or not.”

“Review negative feedback frequently and learn something.”

“Analyse the issue first and then discuss at practice meeting.”

“Investigate if there is any truth to these negative reviews. Trying to rectify and mismanagement if it is there. Otherwise, ignore it if you think it is not true.”

Respond online in a professional manner (68 GPs)

Just over 6% of GPs recommended responding professionally to the review on the platform where it was posted. One GP commented that their company has a PR manager who handles this, while some others delegated this to the practice manager.

“Respond in a non-judgemental way and offer to talk to the complainant.”

“Acknowledge the review, being curious and non-judgemental, offering apology for whatever has been claimed, but providing the correct avenue for direct complaint.”

“Our clinic has protocol to investigate for what has happened and management team will contact patient for unfair comment.”

“Respond to the negative comment online and personally if possible.”

“Short formal reply that avoids privacy disclosures if possible.”

It’s best to seek advice from your MDO. Avant does note that for administrative complaints, it can be worth considering replying online, and for clinical complaints, you can consider acknowledging the complaint online, as long as it’s general, but don’t provide any detailed response online. They also remind practices to be very careful not to breach patient confidentiality.

Consider legal options or requesting that the platform remove the review (53 GPs)

A small proportion, 4% of GPs, suggested pursuing legal options or requesting that unfair reviews be removed.

“Ask Google to remove it.”

“Ignore, and if persistent then litigate for slander and defamation.”

“Contact MDO and consider possibility of a cease-and-desist letter.”

“Ignore them. If they recur within 12 months, send letters requesting desisting from these negative comments. Third option, is take legal action for defamation.”

“Early legal advice and selfcare.”

“Ignore, but take action when necessary.”

“Keep an open mind to any kind of comment, try to focus on quality medical service, let medical defence help deal with unlawful defamatory comments”

“Keep posters liable for what they post: defamation law and similar.”

Kate Gillman from Avant told Healthed that getting reviews removed by the platform can be an option when a review breaches their guidelines, which typically cover things like fake content, hate speech, and defamation. She also noted that while online comments can breach defamation laws, it can be difficult to win a defamation case, and the process involves airing negative comments which may worsen negative public perceptions, so it’s important to consider the situation carefully.

Encourage positive reviews (34 comments)

Countering negative reviews by encouraging satisfied patients to post positive reviews was another strategy.

“Swamp them with good reviews.”

“Ask your satisfied patients to post an online review.”

“Encourage other patients to write good reviews.”

Just be aware that it’s illegal to create fake or misleading reviews — or to ask others to do that on your behalf— and AHPRA prohibits using “recommendations or positive statements about the clinical aspects of a regulated health service” in advertising. That means if you’ve received a positive review that includes any clinical aspect, you can’t use it on your website or social media, the RACGP explains here.

Finally, prevention is better than cure (39 comments)

A small proportion of GPs highlighted the importance of taking a preventative approach by using strategies and skills for better patient communication such as active listening, demonstrating empathy and fine-tuning practice systems to shift patient perceptions and reduce frustration.

“Prevention may be best approach. Learning ways to manage difficult patients.”

“Patients can give reviews in the clinic instead of online.”

“Good communication and acknowledgement of the issue.”

“Improve your relationship with patients by showing empathy and understanding.”

“Prevention by providing good communication and empathetic care. This won’t prevent every case…but it’s a good place to start.”

“If the reviews are accurate make a change to prevent them recurring.”

In a nutshell

To wrap up, here are some “big picture” pearls of wisdom from your colleagues:

“Look at it as an opportunity, make every effort to solve the problem, try to gain more positive reviews, avoid intense engagement in public, seek a third party’s opinion before posting a response.”

“Review the case to identify the legal risk and the basis of complaints. Do what is needed to make change or just ignore if the review is not based on facts.”

“The best way to handle unfair negative online reviews is to remain professional, avoid emotional reactions, and assess the validity of the feedback. If appropriate, respond thoughtfully without disclosing patient details, and report fake or defamatory reviews. Encouraging positive feedback from satisfied patients and improving communication can help maintain a strong reputation while addressing genuine concerns.”