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Trust in Health Care
March 22, 2019

Physicians’ Trust in One Another

Author Affiliations
  • 1Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis
  • 2Center for Health Services Research, Regenstrief Institute, Indianapolis, Indiana
  • 3School of Nursing at Oregon Health & Science University, Portland
  • 4Relationship Centered Health Care, Rochester, New York
  • 5University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
JAMA. 2019;321(14):1345-1346. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.20569

Trusted relationships between patients and their physicians are a timeless foundation of medical practice. In keeping with tradition and formalized codes of professional conduct, physicians are expected to put the needs of their patients ahead of their own; provide care irrespective of race, socioeconomic status, or religious beliefs; maintain confidentiality; and act with diligence, care, and competence.1 Commensurate with the fundamental importance of the patient-physician relationship, a vast body of research and extensive educational requirements focus on this issue.

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1 Comment for this article
Trust Is a Two-Way Street
Edward Volpintesta, MD | Bethel Medical Group
What could be more important? Trust is a two-way street though. It cannot be one-sided. It helps if physicians take advantage when opportunity presents to spend just a few minutes, either in the halls or parking lots of their hospitals; or at staff meetings or even during short telephone conversations to understand each other not only as physicians with common backgrounds but also as individuals.

When physicians share stories about their practices and personal lives, trust is given fertile ground to grow and endure.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None Reported
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