Trust in U.S. healthcare providers falls to 40%: Qualtrics report
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — Trust in healthcare providers has sharply declined since 2020, with only 40.1% of Americans expressing confidence in physicians and hospitals as of January 2024, down from 71.5% in April 2020, according to a Qualtrics report.
The 2025 Healthcare Trends Report shows that responsiveness and care team collaboration are meaningful in reestablishing trust, although AI adoption can alleviate clinician burnout, as long as it is deployed carefully.
Empathy and trust are the foundation of patient care
The report reveals that emotional connection, which is how cared-for patients feel, has a greater effect on trust than ease of access or success of treatment. Patients who feel that staff cares about them are much more likely to trust their providers, regardless of context of care.
Human-centered interactions need to be a priority focus for healthcare systems in order to reverse this trend. Even such minor actions as active listening and an individual approach are able to restore confidence.
As the report emphasizes, empathy isn’t just nice to have; rather, it’s a necessity for patient retention and satisfaction.
Teamwork directly shapes patient experience
Patients overwhelmingly associate care team collaboration with their emotional experience, ranking it higher than individual clinician skill.
No matter whether it is hospitals, outpatient clinics, or emergency rooms, people either work as one team or feel that they do seamless teamwork, which directly impacts satisfaction. However, issues with staffing, like high turnover and reliance on travel nurses, make it difficult to have dependable team dynamics.
The report recommends that prominent teamwork, like effective communication between nurses, doctors, and specialists, is an effective driver of a better patient experience.
As staffing models evolve, maintaining a unified care culture will be essential, not just for efficiency, but for patient perception.
Clinician burnout and AI’s role
While burnout rates have slightly improved, 30% of doctors and 42% of nurses still consider leaving their organizations in the next five years.
AI could alleviate some pressures; 53% of clinicians support its use for administrative tasks, but skepticism remains around patient-facing roles.
Dr. Adrienne Boissy, Qualtrics Chief Medical Officer, notes that AI should enhance caring, not just healthcare, aligning with providers’ cautious optimism.
For healthcare leaders, the takeaway is clear: balancing technology with the human touch will define success in 2025. Those who invest in empathy-driven care, teamwork, and smart AI integration will lead the next era of patient and provider satisfaction.
