Building Trust: The Foundation of Patient-Doctor Relationships - Essay Sample

Introduction

Trust forms the foundation for the patient-doctor relationship by guaranteeing a certain level of security. Patients need to discuss some personal issues with the physicians and submit themselves for physical examinations. Such activities require high levels of trust. Low levels of trust in the healthcare systems lead to unpromising results, ranging from deteriorating wellbeing outcomes to high medical costs. Eroding trust in the results in terrible consequences if not properly managed. However, the concerned people need to develop measures to redeem trust, which promises improved healthcare practices. This paper provides a detailed discussion of the model of determining trust as well as causes and effects of eroding trust in the healthcare systems.

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Beauchamp and Childress Model

The Beauchamp and Childress model is made of four principles that play a huge role in healthcare ethics and are important in understanding the difficulties and merits in healthcare procedures. First, the autonomy principle calls for patients to have the independence of actions, intention, and thought in matters pertaining to decision making in healthcare practices (Page, 2012). Therefore, the process of decision making should be coercion free. The principle allows patients to understand all the benefits and risks of medical procedures and their success possibilities. Therefore, patients can develop trust in these procedures, thus making informed decisions. Secondly, the justice principle calls for medical procedures to adhere to the existing laws and be fair to all the people involved. In determining trust levels in healthcare systems, all medical practices should be conducted as per the law, and the rights of patients upheld. Also, all the involved parties should be treated equally.

Thirdly, the beneficence principle holds that medical procedures should be offered with the intention of promoting the welfare of the patients. Therefore, in guaranteeing trust, healthcare providers need to establish and maintain knowledge and skills, constantly update training, and prioritize the needs of patients for better healthcare. The fourth principle is Non-maleficence, which places more attention on ensuring that healthcare procedures do not harm patients (Page, 2012). In ensuring trust between patients and physicians, medical procedures should guarantee safety at all costs to ensure better healthcare outcomes. Therefore, all healthcare practices need to respect the four principles to promote trust as well as morality.

Legal Issues Contributing To Declining Trust

One of the major concerns leading to trust erosion is the breach of privacy and confidentiality regulations. The regulations prevent healthcare providers from discussing the patient's health information with third parties and without the patients' consent. Patients have legal rights to privacy and confidentiality, which mainly offer guidance on how patients' data is collected, recorded and stored (Graham et al., 2015). However with many healthcare facilities shifting to electronic systems, breach of electronic data has become rampant. Due to the interoperability of systems, patients' confidential information is being accessed and shared with third parties without consent hence reducing the trust that patients have on physicians.

The second legal issue leading to low trust levels is the false claim. This issue is mainly characterized by the presentation of false documents and statements such as Medicare or Medicaid insurance claims for repayment (Sweeney, 2018). Also, it may involve falsely trying to use insurance covers from other people. Healthcare providers could also inflate the medical bills and fail to return the overpayment s to the government.

Economic and Financial Issues Contributing To Declining Trust

Profit-seeking healthcare systems and facilities may make patients doubt whether the healthcare providers would act on the best interests for patients. Patients lose trust in physicians as they wonder whether the decision making and provision of treatment options are based on profit or benefit the sick (Sweeney, 2018). Patients, especially those with low incomes, lose trust in physicians as they believe they feel the monetary value is prioritized compared to health.

The cost of healthcare and drug prices continues to escalate faster than the living costs and wages. At times, people are forced to survive without important medicines, and even go through fatal experiences. At other times, the cost of medical insurance can be too high or not covered (Khullar, 2018). Such factors can lead to death or worsening of the patient’s conditions. Patients, therefore, lose trust in the healthcare systems.

The Impact of Declining Trust Levels

Declining trust between patients and physicians poses health risk factors, as many patients may not adhere to healthful behaviors. Patients who have little trust in their physicians are less likely to follow the treatment plans, which may be characterized by a failure to take medications. Due to mistrusts, people may tend to decline important vaccinations for themselves as well as for their young ones, a factor that may lead to some serious consequences.

Declining trust levels between healthcare providers and patients may also lead to stifling innovation. Though medical innovation is considered to be driven by entrepreneurs, scientists, and doctors, patients also play a huge role (Khullar, 2018). New healthcare technologies and treatments are unlikely to spread if patients are unwilling to try them due to mistrust issues.

Conclusion

Healthcare systems and professionals need to work their way into improving the trust levels with patients to ensure better healthcare delivery. To improve trust in the future, healthcare systems and providers need to have a close association with efforts to improve the financial and health care needs of low-income people. Healthcare providers also need to prioritize the health concerns of patients other than financial gains.

References

Graham, J. L., Shahani, L., Grimes, R. M., Hartman, C., & Giordano, T. P. (2015). The influence of trust in physicians and trust in the healthcare system on linkage, retention, and adherence to HIV care. AIDS patient care and STDs, 29(12), 661-667. https://doi.org/10.1089/apc.2015.0156

Khullar, D. (2018). Do you trust the medical profession? New York Times. January 23.

Page, K. (2012). The four principles: Can they be measured, and do they predict ethical decision making?. BMC medical ethics, 13(1), 10. DOI: 10.1186/1472-6939-13-10

Sweeney, J. F. (2018, April 10). Eroding trust between patients and physicians. Medical Economics. https://www.medicaleconomics.com/view/eroding-trust-between-patients-and-physicians