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Measuring physicians' trust: A scoping review with implications for public policy

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  • Wilk, Adam S.
  • Platt, Jodyn E.

Abstract

Increasingly, physicians are expected to work in productive, trusting relationships with other health system stakeholders to improve patient and system outcomes. A better understanding of physicians' trust is greatly needed. This study assesses the state of the literature on physicians' trust in patients, other health care providers, institutions, and data systems or technology, and identifies key themes, dimensions of trust considered, quantitative measures used, and opportunities for further development via a scoping review. Peer-reviewed, English-language research articles were identified for inclusion in this study based on systematic searches of the Ovid/Medline, Pubmed, Proquest, Scopus, Elsevier, and Web of Science databases. Search terms included “trust” along with “physician,” “doctor,” “primary care provider,” “family practitioner,” “family practice,” “generalist,” “general practitioner,” “general practice,” “internist,” “internal medicine,” or “health professional,” and plausible variants. Among the relevant articles identified (n = 446), the vast majority focused on patient trust in physicians (81.2%). Among articles examining physicians' trust, rigorous investigations of trust are rare, narrowly focused, and imprecise in their discussion of trust. Robust investigations of the effects of trust or distrust—as opposed to trust's determinants—and studies using validated quantitative trust measures are particularly rare. Studies typically measured trust using the language of confidence, effective communication, or cooperation, rarely or never capturing other important dimensions of trust, such as fidelity, the trustee's reputation, social capital, vulnerability, and acceptance. Research employing new, validated measures of physicians' trust, especially trust in institutions, may be highly informative to health system leaders and policymakers seeking to hone and enhance tools for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the health care system.

Suggested Citation

  • Wilk, Adam S. & Platt, Jodyn E., 2016. "Measuring physicians' trust: A scoping review with implications for public policy," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 75-81.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:165:y:2016:i:c:p:75-81
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.07.039
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gilson, Lucy & Palmer, Natasha & Schneider, Helen, 2005. "Trust and health worker performance: exploring a conceptual framework using South African evidence," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(7), pages 1418-1429, October.
    2. Gilson, Lucy, 2003. "Trust and the development of health care as a social institution," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 56(7), pages 1453-1468, April.
    3. Mechanic, David & Meyer, Sharon, 2000. "Concepts of trust among patients with serious illness," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 51(5), pages 657-668, September.
    4. Lee, Hoo-Yeon & Park, Sung Eun & Park, Eun-Cheol & Hahm, Myung-Il & Cho, Woo Hyun, 2008. "Job satisfaction and trust in Health Insurance Review Agency among Korean physicians," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 87(2), pages 249-257, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Groenewegen, Peter P. & Hansen, Johan & de Jong, Judith D., 2019. "Trust in times of health reform," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 123(3), pages 281-287.
    2. Chih-Cheng Lo & Chun-Hsien Wang & Yi-Wen Lin, 2021. "Professional or Interpersonal Trust? Effect of Social Network on the Intention to Undergo Cosmetic Procedures," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(3), pages 21582440211, August.
    3. Ruchira Rao & Minakshi Raj, 2022. "Trust Between Physicians and Family Caregivers: Qualitative Insights from Three Family‐Centered Academic Medical Centers," Journal of Elder Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 2(2), pages 141-166, September.
    4. Ingmar Leijen & Hester van Herk, 2021. "Health and Culture: The Association between Healthcare Preferences for Non-Acute Conditions, Human Values and Social Norms," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-15, December.
    5. Doblytė, Sigita, 2022. "The vicious cycle of distrust: Access, quality, and efficiency within a post-communist mental health system," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).

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