The results of multiple recent surveys provide converging evidence that patient trust in clinicians is still as strong as ever. A recent JAMA paper confirmed that 95% of patients across political lines trust recommendations from their physicians. Trust in any clinician, including one's own, remains high according to a Stanford Center of Digital Health/Rockhealth report. Ratings of honesty among physicians, nurses, and pharmacists has remained largely unchanged over the past 40 years, according to a 2022 Gallup report. These findings are remarkable given the upheavals and structural changes occurring in healthcare systems, emergence of novel technologies, and a recent major public health crisis caused by COVID-19.
In the face of high and sustained trust, articles or panel discussions focused on rebuilding trust or repairing broken trust would appear to be focused on the wrong issue. Instead, what may be more important would be to ensure that patient trust, and resulting patient-provider bonds, remain unaffected by new practices and strategies emerging in........