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Patients’ trust in their physicians

Effects of choice, continuity, and payment method

Journal of General Internal Medicine volume 13, pages 681–686 (1998)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the extent to which physician choice, length of patient-physician relationship, and perceived physician payment method predict patients’ trust in their physician.

DESIGN: Survey of patients of physicians in Atlanta, Georgia.

PATIENTS: Subjects were 292 patients aged 18 years and older.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Scale of patients’ trust in their physician was the main outcome measure. Most patients completely trusted their physicians “to put their needs above all other considerations” (69%). Patients who reported having enough choice of physician (p<.05), a longer relationship with the physician (p<.001), and who trusted their managed care organization (p<.001) were more likely to trust their physician. Approximately two thirds of all respondents did not know the method by which their physician was paid. The majority of patients believed paying a physician each time a test is done rather than a fixed monthly amount would not affect their care (72.4%). However, 40.5% of all respondents believed paying a physician more for ordering fewer than the average number of tests would make their care worse. Of these patients, 53.3% would accept higher copayments to obtain necessary medical tests.

CONCLUSIONS: Patients’ trust in their physician is related to having a choice of physicians, having a longer relationship with their physician, and trusting their managed care organization. Most patients are unaware of their physician’s payment method, but many are concerned about payment methods that might discourage medical use.

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Author information

Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, 180 Longwood Ave., 02115, Boston, MA

    Audiey C. Kao MD & Paul D. Cleary PhD

  2. the Prudential Center for Health Care Research, Atlanta, Ga.

    Diane C. Green PhD, MPH, Nancy A. Davis MPH & Jeffrey P. Koplan MD, MPH

Authors
  1. Audiey C. Kao MD
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  2. Diane C. Green PhD, MPH
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  3. Nancy A. Davis MPH
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  4. Jeffrey P. Koplan MD, MPH
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  5. Paul D. Cleary PhD
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Additional information

This work was funded by the Prudential Center for Health Care Research. During the conduct of this study, Dr. Cleary was a consultant to the Prudential Center for Health Care Research. The authors thank Barbara McNeil, MD, PhD, and Carol McPhillips-Tangum, MPH, for their helpful comments on the study, Sean Lee for data programming, and Linda Emanuel, MD, PhD, for her review of the manuscript.

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Kao, A.C., Green, D.C., Davis, N.A. et al. Patients’ trust in their physicians. J GEN INTERN MED 13, 681–686 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1525-1497.1998.00204.x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1525-1497.1998.00204.x

Key words

  • patients’ trust
  • choice of physician
  • patient-physician relationship
  • physician payment method