Indicators for Medical Mistrust in Healthcare-A Review and Standpoint from Southeast Asia.

Hew Hei Choy,Aniza Ismail

doi:10.21315/mjms2017.24.6.2

Hew Hei Choy, Aniza Ismail

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.21315/mjms2017.24.6.2

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Abstract

The relationship based on trust is exceptionally important in healthcare, where life or death and quality of health are major concerns. Relational crack jeopardises the provision of quality healthcare when trust is taken for granted. Trust is believed to be the vital key to minimise medical negligence, lawsuits and patient complaints towards healthcare providers while acting as an empowering agent to significant clinical outcomes. Trust is indispensable to healthcare. However, to identify its deterioration is not a simple feature. Moreover, lack of research and public dissemination complicate this topic further. Hence, understanding medical mistrust issues and their associated indicators is urgently needed to ensure the top-notch provision of healthcare. We employed narrative review methodology together with key terms matching for the selected electronic databases for this article. Our review concluded that an "Increasing number of medical litigations and complaints towards physicians", "Physicians' low mastery of interpersonal communication skill" and "Patients' demand, practice, and non-disclosure of alternative treatments" are the possible indicators to predict mistrust. Efforts to restore and strengthen trust can only be made when these indicators are well understood firsthand.

Highlights

Being able to trust each other in healthcare is a requirement for beneficial and long lasting partnership
When trust is left unattended, it jeopardises the core principle of healthcare profession, which is to bring forth positive health outcomes to its clients [2]
The main goal of this paper is to develop a preliminary conceptualisation which elaborates on the phenomenon of medical mistrust and its possible indicators based on the integration of the reviewed materials

Summary

Introduction

Being able to trust each other in healthcare is a requirement for beneficial and long lasting partnership. Bonding forged with trust requires mastery of both technical and social competencies for it to last continually This point is exceptionally important in the health sector, where life or death is a major constant concern. The term medical trust used in this article integrates the concept of collaborative trust It is defined as a form of trust which was birthed due to a partnership between patient and physician, where goals are shared, personal contributions to the relationship, as well as mutual respect are emphasised [1]. This type of trust focuses on the exchanges of knowledge, emotional and professional bonding developments, honesty and respect towards an ongoing relationship. When trust is left unattended, it jeopardises the core principle of healthcare profession, which is to bring forth positive health outcomes to its clients [2]

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