Doctors top the league tables for the most-trusted profession among the general public with 89% of the vote – a position they've held in every Ipsos Mori poll since 1983. So far, so unexpected. But there's a personal angle. If you trust your doctor, you're actually more likely to do better when you're sick, according to a study published last week by General Hospital Psychiatry.
The study, of 119 people with either breast, cervical, intestinal or prostate cancer, found that from three months following diagnosis, those patients who did not trust their doctors were not only more distressed but also more physically disabled. They were less likely, for example, to be able to go for long walks or take care of themselves. Patients who felt anxious about being rejected and abandoned suffered the most from not trusting their doctors. So a diagnosis of cancer may heighten the importance of trust but, otherwise, does trusting your doctor really matter?
The solution
Trusting your doctor has clear health benefits. You'll be more likely to try new drugs, follow your treatment plan (jointly agreed with your trustworthy doctor), share important medical information, take preventative measures (eg screening) and have better-controlled diabetes and blood pressure.
Up to half of the failures in treatment reported by patients are due to not following the regime suggested by doctors. This increases the risk of hospitalisation and extended ill health. One study found a small but statistically significant association between how much patients trusted their doctors and how much their symptoms improved within two weeks (allowing for different factors that could have influenced the outcome).
If your doctor takes your problems seriously, if they listen to you with empathy, feel like your ally, involve you in decision-making (sharing the pros and cons of treatments in a straightforward way), then you're naturally more likely to trust them. Judging their clinical competence is harder, but you may be able to go on past experience. Anything that reduces the power difference between you and your doctor encourages trust. Drug and implant manufacturers can unduly influence doctors and, if your doctor is happy to be asked about why they're recommending a particular treatment option, then you're more likely to trust them.
If you don't think these characteristics describe your doctor then you may want to find a different one, or at least ask for a second opinion. Increasingly, people see different doctors every time they visit the hospital or their GP surgeries and it can be hard to know how much you trust the person you see. If you're unsure about your care, you can, in the UK, see what other patients think of the care they get at a surgery and hospital level on NHS Choices.
