Trust in healthcare settings: Scale development, methods, and preliminary determinants

Abstract

The literature contains research regarding how trust is formed in healthcare settings but rarely discusses trust formation in an emergent care population. A literature review was conducted to determine which of the trust determinants are important for this process as well as how to develop a scale to measure trust. A search generated a total of 155 articles, 65 of which met eligibility criteria. Determinants that were important included the following: honesty, confidentiality, dependability, communication, competency, fiduciary responsibility, fidelity, and agency. The process of developing a scale includes the following: a literature review, qualitative analysis, piloting, and survey validation. Results suggest that physician behaviors are important in influencing trust in patients and should be included in scales measuring trust. Next steps consist of interviewing emergent care patients to commence the process of developing a scale.

Trust in older persons: A quantitative analysis of alignment in triads of older persons, informal carers and home care nurses

“…Compassion is central to how people perceive care through relationships based on empathy, respect and dignity and primarily involves being aware of someone's feelings and interacting with them in a meaningful way (Dewar, Pullin, & Tocheris, ). Expressing compassion in a caring relationship could enhance a feeling of being trusted by another person (LoCurto & Berg, ) and compassionate training could help nurses to express their compassion towards older persons more explicitly (Adam & Taylor, ; Dewar et al, ). Although this type of training is usually for student nurses (Adam & Taylor, ), it could help more experienced nurses as it would enable them to reflect on their own behaviour (Gould et al, ).…”

“…Future research could take the next steps. First, longitudinal studies, observing older person–care provider interactions over time, could produce useful insight into how trust develops in daily practice (LoCurto & Berg, ). Second, future studies could look at the trust levels of other care providers (general practitioners, physiotherapists) and social network members (family members and friends), as older persons often receive care from many individuals whose (social) support has an impact on their self‐management ability (Doekhie, Buljac‐Samardzic, Strating, & Paauwe, ; Rogers, Vassilev, Brooks, Kennedy, & Blickem, ; Vassilev, Rogers, Kennedy, & Koetsenruijter, ).…”

“…Older persons’ trust in their care providers can influence their involvement in decision‐making (Brown et al, ; Kraetschmer, Sharpe, Urowitz, & Deber, ) and perceived self‐management ability (Bonds et al, ; Gabay, ; Young, Len‐Rios, Brown, Moreno, & Cox, ). Research shows that trust between older persons and their care providers is important for continuity of care, patient satisfaction and adherence to therapeutic recommendations (Brennan et al, ; Calnan & Rowe, ; Hall, Camacho, Dugan, & Balkrishnan, ; Kramer & Cook, ; LoCurto & Berg, ). Most studies define trust as ‘an expectation that the other person will behave in a way that is beneficial, or at least not harmful, and allows for risks to be taken based on this expectation’ (Brennan et al, ; LoCurto & Berg, ; Mascarenhas et al, ; Moskowitz et al, ; Thom et al, ).…”

“…Research shows that trust between older persons and their care providers is important for continuity of care, patient satisfaction and adherence to therapeutic recommendations (Brennan et al, ; Calnan & Rowe, ; Hall, Camacho, Dugan, & Balkrishnan, ; Kramer & Cook, ; LoCurto & Berg, ). Most studies define trust as ‘an expectation that the other person will behave in a way that is beneficial, or at least not harmful, and allows for risks to be taken based on this expectation’ (Brennan et al, ; LoCurto & Berg, ; Mascarenhas et al, ; Moskowitz et al, ; Thom et al, ). In other words, to trust a person means expecting that their behaviour and word, promise or statement can be relied upon (Mascarenhas et al, ).…”

“…Trust is a keystone in triads of older persons, informal carers and formal care providers (Hall, Zheng, et al, 2002;LoCurto & Berg, 2016;Pelaccia et al, 2016;Thorne & Robinson, 1988;Wiechula et al, 2016). It is closely related to other important aspects of relationships such as satisfaction, communication and privacy (Hall, Dugan, Zheng, & Mishra, 2001).…”