Australians trust their doctors – and universal public health care
Australians trust their doctors, particularly general practitioners, according to a research paper in the latest issue of the Medical Journal of Australia.
Dr Elizabeth Hardie and Dr Christine Critchley, both senior lecturers in psychology at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, assessed public perceptions of Australia’s doctors, hospitals and health care systems.
Eight hundred Australian adults participated in the national phone survey mid last year. Results showed that GPs were deemed more trustworthy than specialists or hospitals.
The sample as a whole, had fairly low trust in non traditional practitioners. However, these alternative practitioners were trusted more by women than by men.
Dr Hardie said the respondents also endorsed the current health care system, and had fairly weak “pro-private” attitudes and strong “pro-public” attitudes.
The study found that people were strongly in favour of a universal public health system that is collectively funded by the public purse.
“The sample had greater trust in private compared with public hospitals, but greater trust in public (Medicare) than private (health insurers) systems,” she said.
“This may reflect Australians’ historical support for a public health care system, combined with an awareness of the long waiting lists and strained resources currently experienced by Australia’s public hospitals”.
