Taylor Corns School of Business, Liberty University.
Author Note: I have no known conflict of interest to disclose. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Taylor Corns. Email: tcorns3@liberty.edu Beyond the Stethoscope: Communication and Trust in Doctor – Patient Relationships Executive Summary This study examines the impact of communication on patient trust in healthcare settings, particularly hospitals. The research question is: How does doctor – patient communication(s) affect patient trust? The hypothesis is that effective communication will have a positive impact on trust in doctors – patient relationships, leading to higher …show more content…
Problem Statement: Patient trust has been eroded by ineffective communication in healthcare settings, especially in hospitals. This study examines how communication affects patients’ levels of trust. There is a favorable correlation between patient trust in hospitals and effective communication. The hypothesis is that healthcare providers’ patients’ trust is enhanced when they communicate effectively. The management research question hierarchy is the following: What impact does communication have on patients’ trust in medical settings, particularly hospitals? Which communication strategies lead to increased patient trust? In order to increase patient trust, how can health companies strengthen their communication? Literature Review Trust is a fundamental aspect of the human existence (Pellagrini, 2017). Trust plays an active role in our lives, as it is used in our daily language as well as in scientific context(s). Furthermore, it is an essential notion in the nursing sciences, including the “fields of nursing, medicine, psychology, and sociology” (Hupcey et al., 2002, p. 283). As Jesus said, in Luke 5:31, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but [only] those who are sick” …show more content…
2023). The. Patient survey data collection will utilize random sampling of patients in randomly selected medical facilities. The sample size should consist of 300 to 400 randomly selected patients drawn from the medical facility. The qualitative portion of the data gathering process will include convenience sampling. The selection of clinical cases or participants for convenience sampling, which is a non-probability sampling technique frequently employed in clinical and qualitative research, typically depends on the participants’ motivation and is done at a location (such as a hospital, medical records database, website, or customer membership list) (Straton, 2021). A standardized questionnaire with closed – ended questions will be used to conduct the survey. The statements and questions of the survey will be evaluated for high levels of reliability and validity. The goal of internal reliability is to demonstrate causation—the idea that one set of circumstances causes another (Sneed et al., 2020). Semi – structured interviews will be conducted during the qualitative phase. Open – ended questions will be used in the interview to get the