Examining the Roles of Communication and Trust in Patient-Provider Relationships and Their Association with Patient Satisfaction with Care.

Abstract

Patient-provider relationships can significantly influence patients' perceptions of quality of care and generally affect patient trust in healthcare providers. The purpose of this study was to investigate how communication based on CAT strategies can enhance the patient-provider relationship, ultimately improving patients' perceptions of the quality of care they receive. Additionally, we examined the relationship between patients' trust in the cancer- and health-related information provided by their doctors and their satisfaction with the quality of care. Data from the 2022 health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 6, n = 6252 surveys) was used. Results demonstrate that the use of CAT strategies that encompass three domains - emotional expression, interpersonal control, and interpretability - play a larger role in patient satisfaction with quality of care than trust in health-related information from their doctor alone. To improve satisfaction with care, these findings show possible targetable domains of patient-provider relationship building in healthcare.