Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Nov 26;24(1):3278.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-20805-1.

Trust in family doctor-patient relations: an embeddedness theory perspective

Ting Ye  1   2 , Wenqi Xiao  1   2 , Yilin Li  1   2 , Yuan Xiao  1   2 , Huiyan Fang  1   2 , Weizhuo Chen  1   2 , Shan Lu  3   4
Affiliations

Trust in family doctor-patient relations: an embeddedness theory perspective

Ting Ye et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Based on the embeddedness theory, the present study aims to explore the association between patients' trust in family doctors (Interpersonal Trust), trust in community health centers (Organizational Trust), and trust in society as a whole (Social Trust).

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in six community health centers in China, using partial least squares structural equation modeling to assess trust scale reliability and validity while testing hypotheses.

Results: The scores of Interpersonal Trust, Organizational Trust, and Social Trust were 3.761, 3.636, and 3.635, respectively. Our findings confirm that Interpersonal Trust is positively associated with Organizational Trust (β = 0.916, p < 0.001), Organizational Trust is positively associated with Social Trust (β = 0.617, p < 0.001) and Interpersonal Trust (β = 0.864, p < 0.001), and Social Trust is positively associated with Organizational Trust (β = 0.784, p < 0.001). However, the relationship between Interpersonal Trust and Social Trust was not demonstrated.

Conclusions: This study enhances our understanding of patient trust in family doctors. Applying embeddedness theory, we reveal positive correlations between Social Trust and Organizational Trust, as well as between Organizational Trust and Interpersonal Trust. Moreover, we have identified Organizational Trust as a crucial mediator in the relationship between Interpersonal Trust and Social Trust.

Keywords: Embeddedness theory; Partial least squares structural equation model; Trust.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Ethics approval for this study was granted by the Medical Ethics Committee of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. All participants provided informed consent prior to their inclusion in the study, and their participation was entirely voluntary. Participants were informed about the study’s objectives, procedures, potential risks, and their right to withdraw at any time without any consequences. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Conceptual Model
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Results of PLS-SEM
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Starfield B, Shi L, Macinko J. Contribution of primary care to Health Systems and Health. Milbank Q. 2005;83:457–502. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bodenheimer T, Pham HH. Primary care: current problems and proposed solutions. Health Aff (Millwood). 2010;29:799–805. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kringos DS, Boerma WG, Hutchinson A, Van Der Zee J, Groenewegen PP. The breadth of primary care: a systematic literature review of its core dimensions. BMC Health Serv Res. 2010;10:65. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sun C, Liu T, Jiang F, Si S, Chu S, Wang P. The development process and implementation of policies related to Family Doctor in China. Chin Gen Pract. 2021;24:765–74.
    1. Baker R, Mainous Iii AG, Gray DP, Love MM. Exploration of the relationship between continuity, trust in regular doctors and patient satisfaction with consultations with family doctors. Scand J Prim Health Care. 2003;21:27–32. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources