Physician image as a factor in patient trust, adherence, and organizational loyalty

Trust between physicians and patients is a fundamental element that influences the efficacy of medical care, significantly impacting treatment adherence, patient satisfaction with medical services, and loyalty to the medical organization. Objective. To identify and analyze aspects of the physician's image that influence patient trust levels, and to evaluate the relationships among trust, treatment adherence, and loyalty to the medical organization. Materials and methods. An online survey employing a Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI) approach was conducted involving 1.663 participants aged 18 years and older from 85 constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The sample demographics were representative of the population in terms of gender, age, and educational background. The analysis used descriptive statistics, the Mann—Whitney test, odds ratio calculations, Spearman's correlation analysis, and multiple regression. Results. The average trust level in physicians among respondents was 7.3±2.4 points on a scale of 10, with 35.7% indicating a high degree of trust. Subgroup analysis revealed that individuals aged 18 to 34 years (41.3%), those with a favorable financial situation (40.4%), individuals without children (39.1%), respondents self-assessing their health positively (46.9%), those lacking negative experiences in interactions with physicians (49.1%), and individuals utilizing private medical organizations (42.4%) reported significantly higher trust levels. The primary attributes that enhanced trust in physicians included kindness and empathy (81.9%), ease of communication (69.4%), maintaining eye contact (59.5%), attire neatness (70.5%), and well-groomed hands (55.2%). A strong positive correlation was established between trust in physicians and satisfaction with the last medical visit (r=0.69; p<0.01), as well as between trust and loyalty to the medical organization (r=0.78; p<0.01). Additionally, a high trust level was correlated with increased treatment adherence; specifically, patients with high trust were 2.35 times more likely to follow medical recommendations, 1.9 times less likely to alter medication dosages without physician recommendation, and 2.06 times less likely to seek medical information online after a consultation with a physician. Conclusion. Patient trust in physicians is primarily influenced by the professional's communicative and personal characteristics, as well as their physical appearance. In contrast, formal attributes such as gender, age, and social media presence were not particularly important. Furthermore, a high trust level emerged as a significant predictor of treatment adherence and loyalty to the medical organization.