Trust: The North Star for the Patient-Physician Relationship

Should trust be the backbone of our relationship with patients? A million times, I’d say yes?— Establishing trust with patients lies at the heart of healthcare and is crucial to overcome misinformation, especially nowadays as the growing number of platforms individuals go to for information, has made it easier for inaccurate information to spread at a never-before-seen scale.

"Establishing trust with patients lies at the heart of healthcare and is crucial to overcome misinformation, especially nowadays as the growing number of platforms individuals go to for information, has made it easier for inaccurate information to spread at a never-before-seen scale.”?

Trust is a central aspect when it comes to improving healthcare. Its importance in the industry is becoming increasingly recognized, as misleading information in health accentuates a serious threat to public health. Fostering trust conciliates a fundamental part of the patient-physician relationship and helps the medical team deliver the best care possible to patients. But where are we with trust??

Erosion of public trust

Only 52% of Americans have a great deal of trust in The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to a?poll published?by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Other health agencies presented even lower rates — only 37% of Americans said they had a lot of trust in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), who are?responsible for protecting public health by ensuring the safety and efficacy of human drugs, biological products, and medical devices?and clinical research.?

This issue has exacerbated since the beginning of the pandemic. Misleading information has resulted in vaccine hesitancy, rejection of public health measures, and increased use of unproven treatments, which can ultimately increase risk or even worse, cause harm.?When it comes to doctors and scientists, the Pew Research Center?reported in February?that Americans' trust in science decreased by 11% since November 2020. Currently,?29% of U.S. adults say they have “a great deal of confidence in medical scientists to act in the best interests of the public.” Without a doubt, medical providers, from regulatory agencies to doctors, face a mistrust and credibility crisis with patients that threatens their main priority: to protect and improve people’s health.?

And yes, most definitely, confusion and hostility have been key defining features in the past two years of COVID-19; however, the general mistrust and misinformation surrounding medical treatments didn't begin with COVID-19 and most definitely won’t end with it either.?

Dropout rates in clinical trials and treatment?

Now, the question is — why should we care? Well, the general erosion of public trust of the FDA and misinformation, has driven cancer patients to deviate from treatments and clinical trial participation, heavily impacting their very own outcomes and overall survival rates.?

The?average dropout rate?across all clinical trials in the U.S. is around 30 percent. To tackle the challenge, medical professionals should become allies to patients, helping them overcome misinformation and guiding them through an effective decision-making process when it comes to their health. If we don’t guide them, then who will??

The reluctance of patients to participate in clinical trials may be partially addressed through robust strategies that focus on improving communication and generating mutual understanding between the parties involved — patients and physicians.?

The importance of physician-patient relationship?

Trust between patients and their healthcare provider is directly linked to improved patient experience, overall health outcomes, and the patient’s impressions of the quality of care they receive. However, the relationship between healthcare professionals and patients has transformed in the past years. Technology advances and social, cultural, and economic factors have driven these changes, amid arising mistrust. Strengthening relationships between patients and their healthcare providers may be a means of building trust and should be a priority for all providers. Trust, as the main element that drives this?relationship, is fundamental in the patient's cancer care journey, especially when it comes to treatment adherence.?

Physicians have a significant role when it comes to encouraging patients to take part in research, by educating them on the benefits and addressing common misconceptions and fears of potential risks. In many cases, patients falsely believe that new and revolutionary interventions, although experimental, are always better than standard available treatments. In other cases, it might be the contrary, as they are hesitant to join clinical research due to a lack of trust. It is in our hands to educate and inform our patients to build a relationship based on transparency and trust, so they are able to make the best decisions regarding their health.?

Establishing trust with patients to overcome the misinformation available may seem easy, but it’s not. External factors will continue to affect it, but by tackling misinformation and working together, we have the power to build a healthier information environment guided by trust. Everyone who makes part of the healthcare industry, must acknowledge the importance of building and creating relationships, as numbers and medical statistics will not speak for themselves – building trust with our patients will.?