Sentiment Analysis of Spine Surgeons: Perceptual Differences Between Neurosurgical and Orthopedic Trained Specialists

Introduction: Spine surgery is a shared subdiscipline between neurological and orthopedic surgeons, with previous studies demonstrating similar outcomes despite divergent training paths. However, the impact of these training differences on patient sentiment remains unclear. As such, we developed a sentiment analysis algorithm to compare patient sentiments for neurological and orthopedic spine surgeons.

Methods: Demographics, ratings, and written reviews for 1,114 neurological and 1,466 orthopedic spine surgeons were collected from Healthgrades.com in June 2024. Sentiment scores, ranging from –1 to 1, were calculated using the VADER algorithm, with >0.5 considered positive sentiment and <-0.5 negative. Word and bigram frequency analysis identified common words and word pairs, and differences between positive and negative reviews were evaluated.

Results: Spine neurosurgeons had an average star rating of 4.15 and sentiment score of 0.82. Positive reviews highlighted thorough consultation, effective pain management, and clear communication. Negative sentiment scores highlighted long wait times, inadequate follow-up, and poor bedside manner. Bigram analysis revealed common positive phrases like "excellent care" and "highly recommend," while negative phrases included "long wait" and "poor communication."
Spine orthopedic surgeons had an average star rating of 4.26 and sentiment score of 0.84. Positive reviews emphasized detailed explanations and successful surgical outcomes, while negative reviews cited complications, insufficient pain management, and perceived indifference. Common positive bigrams included "great experience" and "pain free," while negative bigrams highlighted "post-surgery pain" and "unprofessional behavior.” Both groups showed significant differences between positive and negative sentiment scores (p < 0.001). The correlation between star ratings and sentiment scores was 0.41 for neurosurgeons and 0.37 for orthopedic surgeons. Older surgeons and female surgeons received slightly higher sentiment scores in both groups.

Conclusion : Our findings emphasize the importance of thorough consultation, communication, and post-operative care. Collaboration between orthopedic and neurosurgeons, especially at shared conferences, enhances patient care by fostering a deeper understanding of patient perspectives.