Trust in an individual physician and its contradictions

Mencin Čeplak, Metka (author), Hlebec, Valentina (author)

Introduction: This article analyses the essential contradictions in the phenomenon of trust and the dilemmas this creates for empirical Research on health and the health care system. The trust a patient places in their physician (and-though more rarely-in the health system itself) is generally regarded as an important factor in the patientʼs health; hence, a crucial research problem is the question of which factors influence a patientʼs trust. Methods: In this article, we analyse the attitudes regarding the role of the state in health care - the analysis is based on Slovenian public opinion surveys (1995-2007). In the second part of the analysis we focus on an analysis of the influence of experience with medical institutions and medical personnel, the respondentsʼ subjective evaluation of their own health and a group of sociodemographic factors relating to social inequality (Slovene public opinion, SPO 2001/3). Results: Similar to the results of numerous other empirical studies, our research shows that these factors only partially explain trust in an individual physician. At the same time, we find a relatively large difference between trust in an individual physician and trust in the health service. Conclusion: We explain the results by means of the contradictions and multidimensionality of the phenomenon of trust itself and the quandaries in the conceptualizations of trust.

• Language: English
• Work type: Not categorized
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Publisher: Inštitut za varovanje zdravja Republike Slovenije
• Year: 2012
• Number of pages: Str. 53-68
• Numbering: Letn. 51, št. 1
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-55075
• UDC: 614.253(497.4):316.653
• ISSN on article: 0351-0026
• DOI: 10.2478/v10152-012-0007-y
• COBISS.SI-ID: 30995549
• Publication date in RUL: 10.07.2015

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Zdravstveno varstvo. Slovenian journal of public health
• Publisher: Nacionalni inštitut za javno zdravje, Sciendo
• ISSN: 0351-0026
• COBISS.SI-ID: 3287810

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Zaupanje v zdravnika in njegova protislovja

Abstract

Uvod: V prispevku analiziramo ključna protislovja fenomena zaupanja in dileme, s katerimi se zaradi teh protislovij spoprijema empirično raziskovanje na področju zdravja in zdravstva. Zaupanje pacienta v zdravnika (in - sicer redkeje - v zdravstveni sistem) se praviloma obravnava kot pomemben dejavnik pacientovega zdravja, zato je eno ključnih raziskovalnih problemov vprašanje, kateri dejavniki vplivajo na pacientovo zaupanje. Metode: V prispevku analiziramo stališča o vlogi države na področju varovanja zdravja iz raziskav slovenskega javnega mnenja (obdobje 1995-2007). V drugem delu analize se omejujemo na analizo vpliva izkušenj z zdravstveno ustanovo oz. zdravstvenim osebjem, ocene lastnega zdravja ter skupine sociodemografskih dejavnikov, ki jih povezujemo z družbeno neenakostjo (Slovensko javno mnenje 2001/3). Rezultati: Podobno kot rezultati številnih drugih empiričnih raziskav tudi naši kažejo, da ti dejavniki le deloma pojasnjujejo zaupanje v zdravnika. Hkrati pa ugotavljamo relativno veliko razliko med zaupanjem v konkretnega zdravnika in zaupanjem v zdravstveno službo. Zaključek: Rezultate pojasnjujemo s protislovji in večdimenzionalnostjo samega fenomena zaupanja ter z zagatami v konceptualizacijah zaupanja.