Fostering appropriate questioning and well-placed trust in the acute care setting: developing an ethical framework and practical policy
Year of award: 2012
Grantholders
Dr Zoe Fritz
University of Warwick, United Kingdom
Project summary
Patients need to trust their doctor, particularly when they are acutely ill and need hospital care. Too much, or poorly-placed trust, however, might not be beneficial.
I will explore what well-placed trust is in the acute setting, and consider the links between information sharing, communication, trust, and asking questions. I will explore if asking relevant questions and written communication might improve trust and care in the acute setting. There will be three interlinked research strands: a critical review of academic papers on trust and communication with an ethical analysis; interviews with patients, doctors, and nurses; and questionnaires using case scenarios, which will be sent to clinicians.
I will use this information to develop a practical policy for patient-doctor communication with a pro forma for sharing written information with patients in the acute medical setting.