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A Two-Way Street: Building Trust Between People with Medicaid and Primary Care Doctors

This research compares the views of people insured by Medicaid and primary care doctors who treat people with Medicaid regarding how to build mutual trust.

Trust is central to relationships between patients and health care providers. Patients who are more trusting of their providers tend to be more satisfied with their treatment, behave in ways that are more beneficial to their health, report fewer symptoms and have a higher quality of life. Research and interventions related to trust overwhelmingly focus on patients’ trust in physicians. But trust should be reciprocal in order to facilitate sustained physician-patient partnerships.  Physicians need to trust their patients to provide reliable information, participate in complex and potentially high-stakes decisions and follow treatment plans.

David Schleifer
Researcher

David Schleifer

Vice President and Director of Research - Public Agenda

David Schleifer is Vice President and Director of Research at Public Agenda. Read Bio