Trust between physicians and patients in the e-health era

With the expanding availability of Internet capabilities in the recent two decades, many Americans have used these services to search about medical information for multiple purposes. Americans are using the Internet for acquiring information and alternate treatments regarding their health care issues; including the selection of a physician based off of online physician ratings. Many questions derive from societal changes that come about when technology advances such as the development of the Internet. Medical sociologists have a long history of concentrating on the doctor-patient relationship. This study focuses on the determinations that influence the trust between the patient and their doctor. Millions of people now have access to the World Wide Web, allowing medical advice to be just a click away. A closed-ended questionnaire on the above topics was administered at the end of 2014 to a random sample size of 240 people. The age of the participants were 18 years and older and they resided in the Greater Cincinnati area during the time of data collection. The purpose of the questionnaire was to examine data from various age groups and study those respondents' attitudes concerning any changes in the trust between patients and their physicians due to technological advancements. The results of the study revealed that the respondents continue to retain a high level of trust with their physicians and still prefer face-to-face consultations. This is even though they have access to massive amounts of information right at their fingertips. The respondents also showed high levels of maturity and rationality when using online medical information in their decision-making regarding their healthcare needs and choices. •The respondents still preferred to talk to their doctors face-to-face, despite the availability and influences of the Internet.•The respondents' demographic background impacted their answers on the relationships between doctors and patients.•The respondents' trust levels with medical doctors was high.•The respondents use rationality when using online medical information.