INTRODUCTION: Levels of medical mistrust have historically been higher among racial/ethnic minority patients compared with whites, largely owing to societal and health system inequities and history of discrimination or experimentation. However, recently trust in physicians has declined in the United States in general. We investigated trust in physicians among a large cohort of cancer patients residing in Texas. METHODS: A sample of recently diagnosed cancer patients in Texas were identified from the Texas Cancer Registry with 1344 patients returning surveys between March 2017 and March 2020. The multiscale inventory was mailed to each individual and included the Trust in the Medical Profession Scale which assesses levels of agreement with 11 trust-related statements. Multivariable linear regression models were constructed to assess the adjusted relationship between trust in the medical profession aggregate score and sociodemographic and clinical factors. RESULTS: A total of 1250 surveys were evaluable for trust in the medical profession. The mean aggregate trust score for all patients was 37.3 (95% confidence interval: 36.8-37.7). Unadjusted trust scores were higher for Hispanic (40.5) and black (38.2) respondents compared with white (36.4) (P<0.001). Multivariable analyses showed white, younger, more-educated, or those with lower levels of self-reported health estimated toward lower adjusted scores for trust in the medical profession. CONCLUSIONS: We observed relatively higher levels of medical mistrust among white, younger, more-educated individuals with cancer or those with poorer health. While the relatively higher trust among minority individuals is encouraging, these findings raise the possibility that recent societal trends toward mistrust in science may have implications for cancer care.
INTRODUCTION: Levels of medical mistrust have historically been higher among racial/ethnic minority patients compared with whites, largely owing to societal and health system inequities and history of discrimination or experimentation. However, recently trust in physicians has declined in the United States in general. We investigated trust in physicians among a large cohort of cancer patients residing in Texas. METHODS: A sample of recently diagnosed cancer patients in Texas were identified from the Texas Cancer Registry with 1344 patients returning surveys between March 2017 and March 2020. The multiscale inventory was mailed to each individual and included the Trust in the Medical Profession Scale which assesses levels of agreement with 11 trust-related statements. Multivariable linear regression models were constructed to assess the adjusted relationship between trust in the medical profession aggregate score and sociodemographic and clinical factors. RESULTS: A total of 1250 surveys were evaluable for trust in the medical profession. The mean aggregate trust score for all patients was 37.3 (95% confidence interval: 36.8-37.7). Unadjusted trust scores were higher for Hispanic (40.5) and black (38.2) respondents compared with white (36.4) (P<0.001). Multivariable analyses showed white, younger, more-educated, or those with lower levels of self-reported health estimated toward lower adjusted scores for trust in the medical profession. CONCLUSIONS: We observed relatively higher levels of medical mistrust among white, younger, more-educated individuals with cancer or those with poorer health. While the relatively higher trust among minority individuals is encouraging, these findings raise the possibility that recent societal trends toward mistrust in science may have implications for cancer care.
Authors: Carol E DeSantis; Rebecca L Siegel; Ann Goding Sauer; Kimberly D Miller; Stacey A Fedewa; Kassandra I Alcaraz; Ahmedin Jemal Journal: CA Cancer J Clin Date: 2016-02-22 Impact factor: 508.702
Authors: D T Penman; J C Holland; G F Bahna; G Morrow; A H Schmale; L R Derogatis; C L Carnrike; R Cherry Journal: J Clin Oncol Date: 1984-07 Impact factor: 44.544
Authors: Yinzhi Lai; Chun Wang; Jesse M Civan; Juan P Palazzo; Zhong Ye; Terry Hyslop; Jianqing Lin; Ronald E Myers; Bingshan Li; Binghua Jiang; Ashwin Sama; Jinliang Xing; Hushan Yang Journal: Gastroenterology Date: 2016-02-02 Impact factor: 22.682
Authors: Natalie Escobio Bustillo; Heather L McGinty; Jason R Dahn; Betina Yanez; Michael H Antoni; Bruce R Kava; Frank J Penedo Journal: Psychooncology Date: 2015-11-09 Impact factor: 3.894