Randomized Experiments to Foster Trust in Primary Care Doctors

Abstract:

Ideally, primary care physicians (PCPs) recommend high-value services and avoid wasteful care while building trust with their patients.¹ If the goal is to increase trust, health systems should target structural changes in care delivery as these interventions may have more durable effects than interventions targeting interpersonal behaviors or knowledge.² To inform future studies, we aimed to experimentally alter individuals’ feelings of trust in PCPs. In this study, we designed randomized experiments to test whether reported trust in a PCP is influenced by exposure to unique vignettes about physician-patient encounters.