Patient factors that affect trust in physicians: a cross-sectional study

Area of Science:

• Sociology of Health & Illness
• Health Services Research
• Medical Psychology

Background:

• Physician trust research traditionally focuses on physician attributes, potentially limiting understanding.
• Trust is relational, involving interactions between both patients and physicians.
• Korean patient trust in physicians requires investigation into patient-specific factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate patient traits influencing trust in physicians among Koreans.
• To explore how subjective patient perceptions affect trust in healthcare providers.
• To understand the role of patient predispositions in the patient-physician relationship.

Main Methods:

• Web-based survey of 1000 Korean adults (18-59 years) using proportionate quota sampling.
• Statistical analysis including t-tests, ANOVA, and ordinal logistic regression.
• Examination of associations between patient characteristics and trust in physicians.

Main Results:

• Negative health traits (stress, low self-rated health) and female gender were associated with lower physician trust.
• Negative attitudes toward the healthcare system strongly correlated with reduced trust.
• Recent healthcare utilization (hospitalization, outpatient visits) positively influenced trust.

Conclusions:

• Patient predispositions significantly influence trust in physicians.
• Understanding patient traits is crucial for addressing declining physician trust in Korea.
• Negative perceptions, rather than objective experiences, appear to be key drivers of low physician trust.