Patient-Clinician Trust Is Independent of General Interpersonal Trust Among People Seeking Musculoskeletal Specialty Care

This cross-sectional study of individuals seeking outpatient musculoskeletal specialty care investigated whether lower general interpersonal trust, measured using the validated Interpersonal Trust Scale (ITS), is associated with worse patient experience as measured with the Trust and Experience with Clinician Scale (TRECS-7). A total of 294 adult patients completed TRECS-7, ITS, as well as measures of levels of unhelpful thoughts and distress regarding sensations, social health, and personal health agency. There was no correlation between ITS and TRECS scores. K-means cluster analysis identified four statistical subgroups of patient psychosocial factors. Higher mean TRECS-7 scores were observed in clusters characterized by high personal health agency and favorable psychosocial health, while lower mean clinician-specific trust scores were seen in clusters with low agency and problematic psychosocial health–independent of levels of general interpersonal trust. In the context of musculoskeletal specialty care, difficulty establishing trust with a patient may therefore signal relatively low personal health agency, highlighting a potential target for health and care strategies aimed at enhancing experience. Level of evidence III (Observational, Cross-sectional Study).