Patient-Centered Communication Mediates the Relationship between Health Information Acquisition and Patient Trust in Physicians: A Five-Year Comparison in China

Public trust in medical profession has declined in the past decades. The deluge of health information available in various sources may be one contributing factor. However, how the health information acquisition influences patient trust remains unclear. With a general basis of Longo?s Health Information Model, we proposed and tested mediation pathways linking three types of health information acquisition behaviors (scanning, seeking, and discussing) to patient trust in physicians, mediated by patient-centered communication. By using two iterations of probability sample surveys conducted in 2012 (N = 2568) and 2017 (N = 3090), respectively, in China, this study found that from 2012 to 2017, health information scanning declined. Specifically, the scanning via traditional media (e.g., newspaper, tv) decreased, but increased in the new media (e.g., Web). Besides, both health information seeking and discussing slumped. Among the three dimensions of health information acquisition, health information scanning and discussing exerted direct effects on patient trust. However, patient-centered communication was found to be mediated the relationships between all three types of health information acquisition and patient trust in physicians over time.

Automated summary

Public trust in the medical profession has declined in recent decades, possibly due to the abundance of health information available. A study in China found that from 2012 to 2017, there was a decrease in health information scanning, seeking, and discussing. Health information scanning and discussing were found to have direct effects on patient trust, with patient-centered communication mediating the relationships between all three types of health information acquisition and patient trust over time.