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Article
An exploration of patients' trust in physicians in training
Meyers Primary Care Institute Publications and Presentations
  • Denise E. Bonds, University of Virginia
  • Kristie Long Foley, Wake Forest University
  • Elizabeth Dugan, University of Massachusetts Medical School
  • Mark A. Hall, Wake Forest School of Medicine
  • Pam Extrom, Wake Forest University School of Medicine
UMMS Affiliation
Meyers Primary Care Institute; Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine
Publication Date
7-16-2004
Document Type
Article
Subjects
Academic Medical Centers; Adult; Aged; Communication; Family Practice; Female; Health Care Surveys; Humans; Internship and Residency; Male; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; North Carolina; Patient Satisfaction; *Physician-Patient Relations; Primary Health Care; Regression Analysis; Socioeconomic Factors; *Trust
Abstract
Several characteristics associated with patient trust are identified. To determine the level of trust patients from disadvantaged circumstances have in their primary care resident physician, and to determine patient and physician characteristics that predict trust, we administered a survey to randomly selected primary care patients of an academic medical center staffed by internal medicine residents after a visit to their primary care provider. Participants were adults. The group was racially diverse (50% non-white), English-speaking, and from lower socioeconomic groups. The 10-page survey consisted of 7 sections (Physician Trust Scale, Patient Demographics, Patient Health and Well-Being, Patient-Physician Relationship Characteristics, Global Doctor Trust Scale, and Physician Characteristics). The average trust score for primary care providers was 42.70 (standard deviation [SD] 6.20, maximum possible 50). Patient trust was associated with female gender of the participant, higher education level, male physician, and gender concordance between physician and patient, and was inversely related to patient age. Trust in the doctors and nurses at the hospital in which the clinic was located also had a positive association with trust. These patients from lower socioeconomic groups had relatively high levels of trust compared with patients from higher socioeconomic groups discussed in the literature.
DOI of Published Version
10.1353/hpu.2004.0018
Source
J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2004 May;15(2):294-306. DOI: 10.1353/hpu.2004.0018
Comments

At the time of publication, Elizabeth Dugan was not yet affiliated with the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Related Resources
Link to Article in PubMed
PubMed ID
15253380
Citation Information
Denise E. Bonds, Kristie Long Foley, Elizabeth Dugan, Mark A. Hall, et al.. "An exploration of patients' trust in physicians in training" Vol. 15 Iss. 2 (2004) ISSN: 1049-2089 (Linking)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_dugan/19/