A Research on The Relationship Between Trust in Physician and Hospital and Hospital Preference

The aim of the study is to determine the relationship between the level of trust in physicians and hospitals of patients applying to health institutions and the factors that are effective in hospital preference. In order to collect data in the study, data were collected from patients who came to two hospitals, one public and one private, to receive outpatient services. In the study, convenience sampling method was used as sample selection and data were obtained from 436 participants. A questionnaire form consisting of four sections was used to collect data. The sections of the questionnaire are; socio-demographic information form, two parts of the patient's trust in physician and hospital scale as trust in physician and trust in hospital, and finally the factors affecting hospital preference scale. Before the data analysis, reliability analyses of the scales were performed and found to be reliable for analysis. SPSS 25 package programme was used for data analysis. Since the data did not show normal distribution, Independent Sampels test and Spearman Correlation test from nonparametric methods were applied. As a result of the analyses, a statistically significant relationship was found between trust in physicians and the staff attitude and behaviour dimension of hospital preference. A statistically significant relationship was found between trust in hospital and consumer cost dimension of hospital preference. In addition, a moderate positive relationship was found between trust in hospital and trust in physician. The results of the difference analysis of socio-demographic characteristics are as follows; trust in physician was found to be significantly related to hospital type variable; trust in hospital was found to be significantly related to gender variable; and four dimensions of hospital preference were found to be significantly related to gender, marital status, age, hospital type and occupation variables. In the light of the findings, it is concluded that hospitals should give importance to the staff attitude and behaviour dimension of hospital preference in order to increase trust in physicians and to the consumer cost dimension of hospital preference in order to increase trust in hospitals. In addition, the most effective factor in hospital preference is service quality. As a result, significant relationships were found between trust in physician and hospital and hospital preference factors.