Patient-Physician Trust

Purpose: This literature review explores factors contributing to the patient-physician relationship from the perspective of both patient and physician. Methods: A literature review was created from initial PubMed search of "patient-physician trust." Papers were: 2 qualitative essays, one about patient-physician trust from a surgeon's perspective and another about shared decision-making; a qualitative study with physician interviews and focus groups describing low and high trust relationships; and two studies analyzing data from patient surveys focusing on associations with patient-provide trust and communication scores. Results: 1- Physician trust factors: a) Patient transparency in providing necessary medical information b) Letting physician know about major changes in condition c) Telling physician about all medications/treatments d) Understanding the physician, being actively involved in managing the condition e) Respecting physician's time and boundaries f) Not making unreasonable demands or manipulating office visits for secondary gain g) Keeping appointments 2-Patient trust factors: a) Social trust refers to trust a patient has of the institution itself. b) Patients self-reporting negative attitudes toward the healthcare system demonstrated significantly lower trust scores (p< 0.001). c) Socioeconomic factors: lower income and education (p= 0.01) d) Public health insurance or no coverage compared to private health insurance reported significantly lower provider-patient communication scores (p< 0.001). Conclusions: This review showed that patient-physician trust is complex and multifactorial. Awareness of these factors are critical for developing a successful healthcare delivery model.