Trust can is defined as a belief in the truth, reliability, ability, and, strength of something or someone. The trust of patients and their families is a critical component of clinical practice. The ability of a patient to follow the guidance of their provider must be rooted in trust. As stated in Trust in the health care professional and health outcome: A meta-analysis, positive health outcomes can only be achieved when the patient believes the healthcare professional is working for their best outcome.
You may be wondering how I can create trust when working with patients from various backgrounds, ethnic groups, races, genders, creeds and religions and socio-economic backgrounds. It starts with listening and practicing shared decision-making.
Shared decision-making (SDM) was defined by professor and physician-researcher at the Dartmouth Insititute in Implementing shared decision making in the NHS as an approach in which patients and clinical providers share evidence that is available to consider all options and make decisions in the best interest of the patient. As a patient, I had the pleasure of participating in my healthcare journey and obtaining better results and a greater understanding that I had to be an active participant to get well. However, when a provider did not listen to me or try to understand my hesitancy for taking a specific medication due to religious beliefs or cultural issues, I found myself frustrated and ultimately found a provider that listened.
In a recent study, Relationship between trust and patient involvement in medical decision-making: A cross-sectional study, women who have high trust in their medical providers are more involved in medical decision-making compared to men. An interesting fact that the researchers were not able to discover why the difference occurs between men and women. Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section. I would love to hear them.
I would like to share a tool I have used for SDM. It was created by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in the United States. It is called The SHARE Approach and it works. It is a great way to engage your patients and their families. The tools are free to download and come in various formats. You will find many valuable resources to help you on your journey to creating a more equitable healthcare environment.
In closing, I leave you with a quote from Dr. Niederhauser, dean and professor at the School of Nursing at the University of Tennessee, regarding trust among team members and patients. Trust among team members in a healthcare setting is just as important: “We should never underestimate the value of trust. Trust in ourselves, trust in the relationships we build with our coworkers and trust we earn with those we care for in healthcare.”