https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0029-5924
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Abstract
Background
Trust is pivotal for a productive relationship between patients and healthcare providers and is positively correlated with multiple clinical and humanistic outcomes. However, the impact of trust in healthcare providers on different domains of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among diabetic patients has not been studied in detail.
Purpose
The aim of this study was to examine the association between the physical, mental or psychological, social, and environmental domains of HRQoL with the patients’ trust in their primary care physicians while controlling for several sociodemographic and clinical factors. The study was conducted among a sample of diabetic patients.
Patients and Methods
This study had a prospective questionnaire-based, multi-center, cross-sectional design. The patients were recruited from three public hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Patients’ experiences and trust in their primary care physicians were assessed using the Health Care Relationship Trust (HCR-Trust) scale. HRQoL was assessed using the Arabic version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). Multiple linear regression was conducted to assess the relationship between HCR-Trust and the WHOQOL-BREF physical, psychological, social, and environmental domains controlling for age, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score, health literacy, sex, education, annual income, nationality, and illness duration.
Results
Three hundred and sixty-four patients participated in the study. The scores in all four domains of WHOQOL-BREF were positively associated with HCR-Trust scores of the diabetic patients. Additionally, the scores in the physical (β = −10.26; 95% CI: −13.77 to −6.74; P < 0.0001) and psychological (β = −3.91; 95% CI: −7.44 to −0.38; P < 0.0001) domains were negatively associated with female gender. Furthermore, the physical domain score was negatively associated with the duration of illness (β = −0.26; 95% CI: −0.506 to −0.02; P = 0.032). The environmental domain score was positively associated with annual income (β = 2.31; 95% CI: 1.05 to 3.56; P = 0.030). Other patient characteristics, such as age and education, were not associated with the scores of any of the WHOQOL-BREF domains.
Conclusion
Patient trust in healthcare providers is positively associated with different domains of HRQoL. Therefore, building and maintaining trust with patients is important to achieve favorable treatment outcomes.
Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to Nouf Alquait, Albandari Alnasser, Aliah Aldahash, and Majed Almuhaya for their data collection efforts. The authors acknowledge the financial support received from the Researchers Supporting Project number (RSP-2019/16), King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Abbreviations
HRQol, Health-Related Quality of Life; CCI, Charlson Comorbidity Index; WHO, World Health Organization; HCR-Trust, Health Care Relationship Trust; SILS, Single Item Literacy Screener; WHOQOL-BREF, World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF).
Data Sharing Statement
Study data are available from the authors upon request.
Author Contributions
All authors contributed to data analysis, drafting or revising the article, gave final approval for the version to be published, and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
Disclosure
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.