Do You See What I See? Reflections on the Relationship Between Transparency and Trust

The prospect of a more transparent society sounds promising. Advocates of transparency envision a future in which public trust in institutions and peoples' trust in one another run high because all information worth viewing is readily available and open to scrutiny. As health professionals, administrators, and educators work to enact this vision, careful consideration must be given to complex processes through which transparency occurs. Using examples from the 2019 Academic Medicine Trainee-Authored Letters to the Editor, this Invited Commentary describes two ways of framing transparency. The first, and most common, characterizes transparency as the transmission of information and focuses primarily on the accuracy, objectivity, and comprehensiveness of this information. The second identifies transparency as a social process comprising communicative acts that involve three components: the content, the viewer, and the medium. By calling attention to the relationships, interactions, and materials involved when information is shared, the latter, more social perspective illuminates potential gaps in the current framing of transparency as an ideal and a valued source of knowledge and feedback for health professionals. Calling attention to the complexities of informational transparency, particularly as part of health professions education, may be an important step in efforts to fulfill the goals that likely lie at the heart of transparency efforts-namely, the desire to develop and nurture healthy relationships grounded in honesty and trust.