Public Perceptions, Health Care Providers and Litigation

Perceptions of the Profession

As we stated above, health care professionals continue to be held in high esteem by the public. Indeed, nurses rank number one every single year, with 80% of respondents reporting that they trust nurses in the latest poll. Physicians and pharmacists were numbers two and three on the list, with 65% of respondents reporting that they trusted them. (Police officers and clergy rounded out the top five. Sadly, we lawyers are trusted by only 21% of the respondents, but this is above used car salesmen and members of Congress!) See http://bit.ly/1B7uSSM. The trust the public places in physicians collectively reflects the personal, one-on-one interactions patients have with their doctors. In one large survey, 79% of people said they were very satisfied or extremely satisfied with their doctor visits. Only 1% were not. The Physicians Foundation, “Consumer Attitudes toward Family/Primary Care Physicians and the U.S. Healthcare System, 2012. And patients believe their physicians have their best interests at heart. A large consumer study found that, “most [patients] report that their doctor always exercises independent judgment, despite possible pressures 'from hospitals, government and insurance companies'.” Supra at pg. 6. This is interesting, since a poll of physicians found that 69% of them believe their decisions are compromised. The Physicians Foundation, “2014 Survey of America's Physicians,” September 2014.