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Trust in Physicians and Medical Institutions: What Is It, Can It Be Measured, and Does It Matter?
Author(s) -
Hall Mark A.,
Dugan Elizabeth,
Zheng Beiyao,
Mishra Aneil K.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
the milbank quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.563
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1468-0009
pISSN - 0887-378X
DOI - 10.1111/1468-0009.00223
Subject(s) - public trust , empirical research , conceptual model , conceptual framework , affect (linguistics) , public relations , medical ethics , psychology , political science , sociology , law , computer science , social science , epistemology , philosophy , communication , database
Despite the profound and pervasive importance of trust in medical settings, there is no commonly shared understanding of what trust means, and little is known about what difference trust actually makes, what factors affect trust, and how trust relates to other similar attitudes and behaviors. To address this gap in understanding, the emerging theoretical, empirical, and public policy literature on trust in physicians and in medical institutions is reviewed and synthesized. Based on this review and additional research and analysis, a formal definition and conceptual model of trust is presented, with a review of the extent to which this model has been confirmed by empirical studies. This conceptual and empirical understanding has significance for ethics, law, and public policy.