BACKGROUND:

Adults with sickle cell disease often report poor interpersonal healthcare experiences, including poor communication with providers. However, the effect of these experiences on patient trust is unknown.

OBJECTIVE:

To determine the association between patient ratings of the previous quality of provider communication and current trust in the medical profession among adults with sickle cell disease.

RESEARCH DESIGN:

Cross-sectional survey.

PARTICIPANTS:

A total of 95 adults with sickle cell disease.

MEASUREMENTS:

The four-item Provider Communication Subscale from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Plans and Systems Survey; The five-item Wake Forest Trust in the Medical Profession Scale.

MAIN RESULTS:

Better ratings of previous provider communication were significantly associated with higher levels of trust toward the medical profession. A 10% increase in provider communication rating was associated with a 3.76% increase in trust scores (p < 0.001, 95% CI [1.76%, 5.76%]), adjusting for patient-level demographic, clinical, and attitudinal characteristics.

CONCLUSIONS:

Poorer patient ratings of provider communication are associated with lower trust toward the medical profession among adults with sickle cell disease. Future research should examine the impact of low trust in the medical profession on clinical outcomes in this population of patients.