Trust, Satisfaction, and Confidence in Health Care Providers Among Student and Professional Dancers in France

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Patients who trust their physicians are more likely to communicate about medical problems, adhere to medical advice, and be satisfied with care. Dancers have demonstrated low utilization of physician services for both preventive care and dance injuries. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine trust in physicians as a variable influencing dancers’ health care-seeking behavior. METHODS: The validated Trust in Physician Scale was administered to 45 professional and 34 student ballet/contemporary dancers in France (36.7% male, 63.3% female) to evaluate their trust in medical doctors (MDs) vs physical therapists (PTs). Dancers were also asked about satisfaction and confidence in medical treatment for dance injuries. RESULTS: Dancers indicated greater trust in PTs than MDs (70.61±10.57 vs 65.38±10.79, t=–3.499, p=0.001). Students exhibited significantly less trust in MDs than professional dancers (62.04±9.96 vs 67.65±10.42, t=–2.381, p=0.020). Trust scale scores for PTs did not differ between students and professionals (69.53±8.30 vs 71.68±12.09, t=–0.866, p=0.389). Students were less confident than professional dancers in their physician’s ability to treat their most severe injury (6.7% of students vs 35.7% of professionals “very confident,” X2=9.402, p=0.052). CONCLUSIONS: Dancer patients exhibit lower trust in physicians compared to previously studied non-dancer populations. Our results suggest that reduced trust in physicians and factors related to professional status may influence dancers’ health care-seeking behavior. Student dancers may comprise a unique subpopulation of dancers with distinctive health care needs.