10 Trait theory in practice

If you’re like me and you decide to go out for dinner, you probably start by looking at online reviews.

I’m always interested to read customer ratings and comments, see the menus, look at people’s photos of the food, and think about practicalities like how long it’s going to take me to get there.

I don’t do the same thing when I need to see a health professional, in large part because that kind of review service isn’t available.

But the increasing privatisation of healthcare has meant many of us in high-income countries have more choice.

So, should the same principles apply to choosing a healthcare professional as they do for restaurants?

Imagine there was a website that covered all of the health professionals in your area, public and private (something like this).

Which of these criteria would you use to decide who to go to?

• Service-user ratings
• Descriptions of services offered
• Pictures of the clinic/department/ward
• Personal testimonies
• Scopes of practice
• Top 50 ratings
• Student performance
• Job descriptions of staff
• Published care pathways
• …

Try to think of at least three other traits you might add to the list. What would you add that’s missing here?