Trust takes a long time to build up but can be lost quickly. Generally, doctors fare well when the public is surveyed on who they trust.
It was with interest then that I heard Dr Eric Reinhart, who is a political anthropologist, psychoanalyst and medical resident say, “In my view the biggest obstacle to health in the US today is the lack of trust the public holds for medical care, for public health systems and ultimately for the government”.
Yes, our health and political systems are different to the US. However, we too are more polarised than ever and, like it or not, we often follow trends which first appear in the US. While I hope to be wrong, it would not surprise me if the next survey showed a decrease in trust for the medical profession.
It is claimed that Sweden was successfully able to negotiate COVID without lockdowns or draconian measures because there is two-way trust. The people generally trust that the government has the public (rather than its own) best interests at heart and the government trusted the people to behave in a sensible manner without coercion.
Part of building trust is humility and empathy. This means conceding that you don’t know everything and are open to the view that you could be wrong. It also means understanding how others feel.
Most people when asked will say they trust their doctor (or lawyer) but not necessarily “the doctors” or “the lawyers”. When we have a personal relationship, we can form a view as to whether a person is trustworthy. While not correct 100% of the time, most people are usually right and can learn if wrong. It is harder to trust an amorphous group especially when the errors or sins of even one member of said group can cast aspersions across all.
Part of building trust is humility and empathy. This means conceding that you don’t know everything and are open to the view that you could be wrong. It also means understanding how others feel. While this may not deter you from a course of action, it shows that you are aware of different perspectives and have considered them in making a decision.
We have seen elements in our profession become increasingly dogmatic and tin-eared to views they do not hold. This reflects poorly on the entire profession especially when played out in the public square.
It has been said by many that half of what we learn in medical school was wrong but we don’t know which half. Thus humility and being open to new ideas which contradict our current thinking is critical both to advancing medicine and to building and maintaining public trust.