Trust in Health Care: Defend Patients, Not Just Science

We all know someone who hesitates before speaking up at the doctor’s office. They rehearse their questions in the car. They worry about being dismissed. They wonder whether their symptoms will be believed. For many patients, this caution and hesitation isn’t about distrusting science, but about whether the health system will defend them – their autonomy, concerns, and right to trustworthy, evidence-based care, as well as their access to that care.

A new Journal of General Internal Medicine viewpoint written by Jessica Perlo, MPH, the ABIM Foundation’s Executive Vice President, and Fred Cerise, MD, MPH, Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees and CEO of Parkland Health, outlines what it will take to rebuild trust in health care today.

“As a physician and a leader working alongside clinicians, we’ve seen both the urgency and the opportunity to do better—not just in defending science, but in defending patients. This work demands humility, respect, and a recognition that trust is not granted by credentials—it is earned through listening, honesty, and alignment with the needs of those we serve. “

About the Author

ABIM Foundation

The ABIM Foundation’s mission is to advance medical professionalism to improve the health care system by collaborating with physicians and physician leaders, medical trainees, health care delivery systems, payers, policymakers, consumer organizations and patients to foster a shared understanding of professionalism and how they can adopt the tenets of professionalism in practice.