The Power of Trust
A new study out of the University of Michigan has found that patients who don't trust their doctors are more likely to skip doses of prescribed medicine due to cost issues than those who report a high level of trust in their physicians.
The study involved over 900 VA patients with diabetes, and 41 percent of them were on insulin. Researchers found that nearly 30 percent of those people who reported low levels of trust in their doctors and had monthly drug costs over $100 said they skipped medicines due to cost, compared with 11 percent of those who had a more trusting relationship with their doctor. Those with lower trust levels were also more likely to suffer from depression.
The study results suggest that patients may feel more comfortable revealing financial problems that affect their medical care when they've established a good, trusting relationship with their doctor...and that doctors who have good patient-physician relationships may be more likely to proactively ask patients about financial issues they might face and work with them to find a resolution.
“Our findings suggest that a trusting patient-physician relationship can significantly influence whether a person sticks to prescriptions when that patient faces pressures from their medication costs,” commented lead study author Dr. John Piette.
Yes, I strongly believe that people with good trust in their doctor are better able to ask questions, relay sometimes "silly" problems, will discuss dietary "findings". It is difficult at first for the patient because the knowledge of the disease is so limited. It is quite shocking to discover one has diabetes.
On the other side doctors are always under time pressure and also often not personally "equipped" to establish a better relationship.
Sometimes it is nice to see that doctors think about their diabetic patients when one is not right there. Two years ago all patients of my doctor were informed about a free demonstration of "Freestyle" (Therasense now Abbott). The presentation was an all day event by a diabetic RN. What a good idea.
It is interesting though that even in a good relationship with my doctor one often gets the feeling you better do what the doc says rather than WHY with a bit more explanation.