News: COVID-19 pandemic eroded physician trust in healthcare systems, leadership, insurers, and more, study finds

The COVID-19 pandemic decreased physician trust in several healthcare institutions and sectors, according to a recent national survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for the Philadelphia-based ABIM Foundation. The findings are based on information collected from 600 physicians nationwide, HealthLeaders reported.

The survey features several key data points on how the pandemic affected physician trust in the following institutions, sectors, and colleagues. The survey shows physicians trust decreased for healthcare systems by 30%, for hospitals 19%, for insurance companies 31%. However, further data shows 53% indicated their trust in healthcare systems remained the same, 58% indicated their trust in hospitals remained the same, and 63% indicated their trust in insurers remained the same.

The survey also measured broader measures of physician trust independent of the pandemic. These measures included physician trust in the following areas. The survey also measured physician trust outside pandemic parameters with only 1% “completely” trusting insurers, 64% completely trusting fellow physicians within their own practices, and 20% completely trusting physicians outside their practice.

"It is a severe problem, but it is equally well-framed as an opportunity that if we focus on trust, we can make things a lot better,” Richard Baron, MD, president and CEO of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the ABIIM Foundation, told HealthLeaders. “That is the core effort that we are undertaking—we are saying that getting organizations to focus on [being] trustworthy is something that will help them be successful ...”

Editor’s note: To read HealthLeaders’ coverage of this story, click here. To read the full survey findings, click here.