The Role of Perceived Clinician Trust, Communication Apprehension with Providers, and Patients’ Sociodemographic Factors in Patients’ Willingness to Communicate with Primary Care Clinicians

Patients' trust in their providers is a key indicator in determining their satisfaction with care and communication with their providers. Guided by the relationship-centered care framework, the purpose of this study is to examine the impact of patients' perceptions of clinician trust, patient sociodemographic factors, and communication apprehension with providers on patients' willingness to communicate with their primary care clinicians. Participants (<i>N</i> = 251) completed a survey assessing nine dimensions of trust, communication apprehension with providers, and their willingness to communicate with providers. The results suggest that issues such as access, location, and identity are important factors in how patients assess their clinicians' trust. Trans patients, LGBTQAIT+ patients, and patients from rural communities reported the lowest levels of trust with their providers. Annual visitation with primary care clinicians was also an important factor in developing trust with providers. Trust also significantly correlated with communication apprehension with providers' and patients' willingness to communicate with their providers. A regression identified four factors in patients' willingness to communicate with their primary care providers: communication apprehension, clinicians' ability to evaluate a problem thoroughly and order the correct diagnostic tests, annual visits, and patients' biological sex. These results suggest that a multidimensional approach to trust is crucial and could help to reduce health disparities among underserved or marginalized groups.