"All health care is local."

So begins a recent report to the American Hospital Association: "Trust Counts Now: Why Hospitals Need the Trust of the Public and What They Can Do to Earn It."

Citing several Independent polls, the report asserts that public trust in hospitals has eroded over the past few years, in large part because of negative press.  The results of the 2005-06 Healthcare Market Guide support this assertion.

What does the NRC Healthcare Market Guide have to say?

HCMG respondents, when asked to rate their trust and confidence in hospitals, responded on a five point scale with one being "Very Low" and five being "Very High".  As seen in the chart below, the National Market results suggest a slow but steady decline in trust and confidence in hospitals among survey respondents. 

Nationally, 62.7% of respondents answered either "High" or "Very High"(Top 2 box).   By MSA,  the Top 2 box scores ranged from 46.7% in Bakersfield, CA to 77.2% in Cedar Rapids, IA.

Overall, across all Analyze-bys, the largest percentage of respondents in the national market rated their trust and confidence as "High" versus "Very High", or "Neither High nor Low".  The lowest percentage of respondents rated their trust and confidence "Poor" or "Very Poor"  For all years, approximately one-third of respondents rated their trust in hospitals as "neither high nor low".

The healthcare decision makers are more likely to rate their trust level as "High" or "Very High" if they are:

• Male
• Over age 65
• Married
• Rate their health status as "Good" or "Very Good"
• Have lived in their community for ten or more years

Trust and Confidence questions were also asked for Health Plans, Doctors, Nurses, and Pharmacists.

Trust and Quality/Image

The report "Trust Counts Now" outlines seven principles, challenges, and outcomes, as a "a moral compass to point the way" towards earning the public's trust.  The Quality/Image section of the HCMG addresses one of those principles: "Crossing the quality chasm will bridge the confidence chasm."

Overall, the HCMG gives a strong indication of how a community perceives healthcare and facilities, and the Quality/Image section is particularly important in gauging the factors that affect public trust.

Read the report:  Trust Counts Now