Trust is a pivotal factor that shapes healthcare delivery, the quality of health systems, and the effectiveness of governance and leadership. When patients lack trust in their healthcare providers or the health system, it can lead to reduced care-seeking, compromised adherence to medical advice, and broader societal implications. Mistrust can also impede coordinated responses to public health emergencies, as seen during Ebola, H1N1, Zika, cholera, HIV crises, and most recently the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has eroded people’s trust in global health authorities and
. Recent surveys revealed that public trust in healthcare is more local, as it was found people have high trust in their
COVID and trust
At the start of the
COVID-19 epidemic, global health authorities and scientists could only gather information about the newly emerging virus as the situation unfolded. Various sources of conflicting and time-sensitive information clubbed with delayed responses from governments in such uncertain and confusing times contributed to public mistrust. Consequently, discordant and inconsistent information, including informative scientific debates as well as
medical misinformation, hampered a coherent public health response. The lack of global standards in health policies, frequent changes in travel guidelines, and each nation taking a different approach to mitigating the crisis created a sense of ambiguity. All these together challenged the level of trust the public had in science, politicians, businesses, and various sectors of healthcare during the pandemic. Moreover, the ‘infodemic’ and misinformation that circulated in the public during the crisis undermined the
trustworthiness of the media. The expense of establishing trust within the
healthcare and life sciences industries is particularly significant, as establishing trustworthy relationships can make the difference between being vaccinated or unvaccinated, between achieving optimal health or ill health, and even between sustaining life or death.
Trust gap in healthcare
Trust in healthcare is a complex issue with many layers. Factors such as politics, social norms, culture, gender, economics, education, religious beliefs, and communication trends influence public attitudes toward healthcare. These dynamics differ in different regions of the world, societies with lower incomes usually have lower levels of trust. The way people interact with health services varies from country to country, and where people live plays a big part in how much
trust they have in health professionals and institutions. Inequality in access to quality care is important, but it is not a determinant of levels of trust. Studies indicate that there are high levels of trust in vaccines in many low-income countries, but lower trust and
greater hesitancy in some high-income countries. Collaboration among all stakeholders involved in public health is essential to overcome the numerous obstacles to establishing trust. Taking advantage of digital technology and
artificial intelligence can help rebuild trust and empower patients to make informed decisions.
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