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Does Patient–Provider Racial/Ethnic Concordance Influence Ratings of Trust in People with HIV Infection?

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Abstract

Despite widely available and effective treatments, there are racial/ethnic disparities in HIV-related mortality rates. The reason for inadequate HIV/AIDS management among minority populations is not fully understood, however recent research indicates that patients rate the quality of their health care higher if they are racially/ethnically concordant with their providers. As trust plays prominently on health care ratings, we examined whether racial/ethnicity concordance was associated with two dimensions of trust, trust in the provider and mistrust in the health care system, in 380 HIV infected people New York City. In this sample, concordance was associated with lower mistrust in the health care system, but not with trust in provider. We conclude that in this patient population and within the health care system available to them, racial/ethnic concordance might be more important for helping patients to understand and navigate the health care system rather than in interpersonal relationships with a single provider.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Minority HIV/AIDS Research Initiative (#U65/CCU223363-03), the Center for AIDS Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH AI-51519), and the Health Resources and Services Administration, HIV/AIDS Bureau, Special Projects of National Significance, (#H97 HA 00247-03). Dr. Cunningham is supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program. Preliminary results from this analysis were presented in part at the International Conference on Urban Health, Toronto, Canada: October 2005. We gratefully acknowledge Dr. N. Fernando for her contributions to this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sophie Davis Medical School, City University of New York, 138th Street and Convent Avenue, City College Campus, New York, NY, 10031, USA

    Nancy Lynn Sohler

  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Lisa K. Fitzpatrick

  3. Department of Family and Social Medicine, Montefiore/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA

    Rebecca G. Lindsay

  4. Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Montefiore/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA

    Kathryn Anastos

  5. Division of General Internal Medicine, Montefiore/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA

    Chinazo O. Cunningham

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  1. Nancy Lynn Sohler
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Correspondence to Nancy Lynn Sohler.

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Sohler, N.L., Fitzpatrick, L.K., Lindsay, R.G. et al. Does Patient–Provider Racial/Ethnic Concordance Influence Ratings of Trust in People with HIV Infection?. AIDS Behav 11, 884–896 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-007-9212-0

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