Expired defribillator pads and inadequate handwashing facilities led to the suspension of the surgery registration license of a Florida doctor’s office after a Florida Department of Health investigation.
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In the post-Covid world we live in, it is evident that there is an increase in global mistrust in the healthcare system. As a college student, I feel that our voices may not be heard as much as someone who is older than us. As a result of people’s voices not being heard, this leads to people mistrusting the healthcare system.
People often blame providers for the lack of one-on-one time during their visits; however, as patients, we fail to acknowledge that it’s the system as a whole that pushes providers to see a certain number of patients. This limits how much time we spend with our providers. Essentially, patients redirect that anger onto their providers, which ultimately turns into mistrust in the healthcare system as a whole.
This makes me question how I would navigate these issues if I were going into the healthcare field. However, since I am not, I interviewed the SXU junior nursing students Brooke Berg and Joe Cleveland.
When asked about how she navigates mistrust in the healthcare system, Berg answered, “Lack of trust in the healthcare system affects me as a nursing student because I see how patients could approach healthcare with a sense of fear, mistrust, or apprehensiveness. Although I’m still a nursing student, I see how being present, respectful, and consistent with patients makes them feel important; this helps to rebuild trust in the healthcare system.”
In response to the same question, Cleveland replied, “I think that the mistrust in the healthcare system impacts me as a nursing student because when I did clinicals, specifically, there were definitely some people that did not want to be helped, and that prevented me from being able to do my job.” “As a student looking into the future for a job, this allows me to know it will be hard to work with some people because {they could be judgmental of one’s gender identity} which can be impactful as well. I have navigated this by being patient with people, and if there is mistrust, it stems from some past experience, which allows me to be as respectful and patient as possible,” Cleveland continued.
Berg and Cleveland helped me explore the ideas of patience and empathy that are deemed necessary in the healthcare system. Their ideas also alluded to what we have been learning about trust and active listening between patient and provider in Health Communication. Later in the interview, I asked about their priorities as future healthcare providers.
Berg responded, “As a healthcare provider, my top priorities are ensuring patient safety, providing quality and evidence-based healthcare services, and advocating for the physical, emotional, and psychosocial needs of my patients. Trust and transparency are at the top of my list of priorities as a healthcare provider. Trust and transparency are the foundation of a successful patient-provider relationship.
Without trust, patients may not open up and cooperate with their healthcare services. Patients who do not trust their healthcare providers may not only avoid their services but also their health. Transparency helps in promoting better health outcomes and ensuring that patients feel empowered and heard.”
Cleveland asserted, “My top priorities as a healthcare provider are to ensure that everyone gets the best care that they can, even if it’s as simple as wanting somebody to talk to. I want to be there for people and want to be able to minimize the amount of mistakes, even though they may happen. I want people to have the continuity of care that they need.
Trust and transparency are very high on my list of priorities. For transparency, I would want people to be honest. I know some patients are not honest, so you have to ask them a few more questions.”
After considering the perspectives of nursing students, I have shifted my thoughts about healthcare and how providers do have our best interests at heart. As college students, we often feel misunderstood by providers. Now we can understand the implications of mistrust of the healthcare system, and how our mistrust negatively affects the providers and often interferes with their ability to assist us. Women tend to mistrust providers more than men, since their health issues tend to be commonly dismissed.
The mistrust stems from women’s concerns oftentimes worsening before they become a priority for providers, since providers believe their pain to be magnified. The results of this mistrust in the healthcare system based on issues of gender identity and sexual orientation could be detrimental to people’s health as a whole, since providers do not fully understand how to navigate these disparities.
As the interviews and Health Communication have alluded to, there are structural issues within the healthcare system as a whole; however, as college students, we should be more open and honest with our providers. Through these conversations and actions, trust can be rebuilt slowly over time.