Analysis of the doctor-patient trust strategies in family physicians contracted service from residents′ perspectives

Abstract

Objective To learn the current doctor-patient trust in contracted service of family physicians in suburban Beijing, and analyze its influencing factors from residents′ perspectives to propose countermeasures. Methods A total of 197 contracted residents were sampled from 12 community health service centers in 4 out of 10 suburb districts of Beijing, for a questionnaire survey using stratified random sampling method. Items of the questionnaire cover residents′ knowledge of the family physicians′ contracted service, their trust of family physicians′ competence, and their trust level of the ethics and the influencing factors. Measurement data were calculated form the mean value, while the count data were subject to proportion analysis, frequency description and rank ordering. Results 175(88.8%)and 156(79.2%)of the contracted residents trust the ethics and competence of their family physicians. Whether the ethics trust exists between doctors and patients was decided by if residents′ respect, care, and interests considerations taken into account by the physicians; the factors influencing the competence trust of the residents were the age, education of the residents, and whether the physicians display respect, care. Conclusions Upgrading the medical competence and ethical conduct is conducive to the establishment of doctor-patient trust. In the establishment of the family physicians contracted service, it is necessary to improve acceptance of the contracted residents. At the same time, medical ethics issues such as respect for care, privacy protection, and maximum interests of the residents in the process of medical treatment deserve further attention. Key words: Physicians, family; Contracted service; Doctor-patient trust; Residents; Community health service center