Citation

Sisk B, Baker JN. Pediatrics 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Division of Quality of Life and Palliative Care, Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, American Academy of Pediatrics)

DOI

10.1542/peds.2019-1319

PMID

31722962

Abstract

Trust is essential to the clinician-family relationship in pediatrics, and it is affected by the actions or inactions of clinicians. High levels of trust can support confidence, peace of mind, and a sense of security. Broken trust can lead to anxiety, second-guessing, and frustration. In these opening statements, parents describe lapses in clinicians’ honesty, fidelity, and caring that impaired their trust. Mounting evidence suggests that the US health care system is entering into a crisis of trust, with Americans reporting decreased trust in physicians and the health care system over the last half century.

In 2014, a report found that only 58% of American patients agreed that doctors could be trusted, ranking 24th among all countries surveyed. Lee et al argued that this erosion of trust has resulted from the deprioritization of relationships in modern US health care, and they recommended a framework for increasing trust between patients and health care organizations or health care teams. Although this organizational trust is important, we argue that interpersonal trust in pediatrics between each family and clinician is paramount. Every clinician has an opportunity …

Language: en