The white lab coat doesn't carry the same influence as it once did. Americans' trust in doctors continues to decline, with just over half (53%) now rating medical doctors as honest and ethical, according to Gallup. That is down from 67% who rated doctors as trustworthy in 2021.
There are many factors at play in this decline, starting with the COVID pandemic, which saw the medical establishment push lockdowns, closures, masking, vaccine mandates, and censorship. "Many people lost their jobs, their businesses, they had family disruptions, school disruptions for kids, when it was all not necessary," says Dr. Brian Joondeph, writer and Ophthalmologist. "Safe therapeutics were poo-pooed to push a vaccine, which wasn't really a vaccine."
"So a lot of trust has been lost in the health authorities, who basically lied," he continues.
But the pandemic is not the only reason for the growing chasm between doctors and patients. A shortage of doctors that has grown more pronounced in recent years means patients have to wait longer for shorter visits. Dr. Joondeph also blames the insurance system for forcing many doctors to take on too many patients. "If you're mandated to take 10 minutes per patient, and a patient has half a dozen medical problems, it's impossible to address those in a 10-minute visit," he tells KTRH. "There's quotas on how many patients doctors see, and the reimbursement is not sufficient to spend longer."
In the long term, Dr. Joondeph believes we should move away from the broken insurance system toward a more direct care system. But in the meantime, there is no easy or quick solution to rebuild the reputation of the medical community. "Hopefully, (Health and Human Services Secretary) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will shed some light on what's been going on and provide some accountability, but that kind of lost trust is very hard to regain," he says.
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