Americans' trust in medical doctors has eroded over time. The level of trust has decreased by 14 percentage points since 2021, to its lowest number since the mid-1990s, according to annual Gallup survey results released this year.
While I found this alarming, I was not surprised. And I have some good news: As health care administrators, we can help restore the trust Americans once had.
The impact on healthcare
I'm most concerned about the decline in trust because the results can cause harm to patients, physicians, healthcare administrators, and the healthcare ecosystem.
It's harmful to patients because without trusted medical doctors, people instead put their trust in sources like the internet that could provide incorrect or harmful information.
The lack of trust is also harmful to physicians because if distrusting patients ignore their treatment and care protocols, they are wasting valuable time and resources that could be better allocated to helping others.
Lastly, the erosion of trust in medical doctors has a negative impact on healthcare administrators and organizations due to the increased financial challenges brought about by dwindling patient visits.
Identifying the trust-busters
I'm not surprised by the survey results, as I've witnessed the factors that've contributed to this decline firsthand in my career. One of them is the growing reliance on the internet, where misinformation is widespread, for self-diagnosis. This factor is likely to be compounded by increased access to AI. While some online information can be helpful to patients, it can be dangerous when it becomes a primary source of truth. In a recent poll, 47% of physicians cited misdiagnosis or delayed care as their top concern when patients use AI for medical advice.
But I want to focus on two other trust-busters that healthcare administrators have more control over:
- The first is the time physicians spend during examinations clicking, typing, and looking at a computer screen, rather than making eye contact and displaying full attention to their patients. As a patient, does that make you feel like you're being heard? Does it give you confidence that you're receiving the best care?
- The second is the many hours physicians must spend between visits on administrative functions. As much as 50% of doctors' work time is spent on administrative tasks. The damage from this is twofold: Physicians are burning out, and they're less focused on providing high-quality patient care.
As a recent Wall Street Journal article put it: "We've long relied on doctors to remedy our pains, make lifesaving decisions, and have our best interests in mind. Now people feel less confident. They see a series of time-pressed physicians who keep visits short and struggle to build rapport with patients. That often makes it seem as if they are dismissing concerns or letting biases creep into care."
Restoring trust
The good news for healthcare administrators is that there are many ways to begin restoring trust. We can free up more time for physicians to focus on care. We can develop solutions to remove computer screens as a barrier between patients and clinicians during examinations. We can use technology in ways that better support patient care, rather than creating additional obstacles.
How to get started? I've identified solutions that healthcare administrators can use to help physicians refocus on patient care and rebuild their patients' trust:
- Modify EHR workflows to work for clinicians, rather than against them.
- Utilize technology to reduce workloads, rather than expanding them.
- Use AI, in the right way, to remove computer-driven distractions from the exam room.
It's not too late. While trust in medical doctors has dropped to 53%, they remain the fifth most trusted profession among the 23 professions included in the annual Gallup survey. "Medical doctors" is also one of only five professions with a majority positive rating.
That means we're still building on a position of relative strength. But the time to act is now.
