Role of outcomes in validating trust

Could trust be a key driver of health outcomes? I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently. Certainly research says trust between patients and their clinicians repeatedly improves outcomes. So if trust is so important, what makes up the foundations? I found an elegant definition on a TED talk by Harvard Business School Professor Frances Frei (link in comments) She breaks trust into 3 pillars. 1) Logic 2) Empathy 3) Authenticity Here’s briefly how each can relate to patient encounters: Logic Being clear about specific problems and solutions but also clear in communication. In practice this means using simplified, non jargon explanations and checking understanding regularly. Empathy Being able to sit with discomfort, listen and accept someone’s reality without trying to change it at first. This requires emotional literacy to recognise and tune into feelings in patients. This can be learnt with useful (and quick) frameworks by David Burns and/or Brene Brown. Authenticity This is daring to be vulnerable and human. This is hard to balance with logic as we often want to be the expert with every answer. But authenticity does not mean in unprofessional. It’s remembering to be you. Not wearing the mask of a sterile clinician who you think the person needs. It’s the care about their suffering you want to share with them. ————————- Personally, on occasion during short appointments all 3 of these things go out of the window. Logic is replaced with jargon and uncertainty trying to rush a complex presentation. Empathy is squashed as you think about the long queue outside. Authenticity is blocked as you need to be the “expert” with scientific authority. A medical robot with all the answers. Paradoxically these appointments usually last longer or end in frustration. I’ve found the quickest and most effective appointments are sometimes the ones where I have connected and built trust early. That’s why building empathy and authenticity into my practice has been an active goal of mine since becoming a GP. Ive found that a brief 30 second summary of the case midway through a consultation using David Burns “5 secrets of effective communication framework” can show logic, empathy and authenticity. And fit within 10 minutes which is essential these days. Does this work every time? Of course not. It’s hard to get right and takes practice and failure but when you feel that connection of trust with a patient it’s obvious. And it makes my job a lot more satisfying (and hopefully effective according to research!) —————- In summary, trust can be key to health outcomes and is a combination of logic, empathy and authenticity. Do you agree trust is important as a clinician? Would you add anything else to this list? Which do you excel at and which do you struggle with? ♻️ Repost if you think this trust summary is useful for your network

Trust isn’t built in a campaign. It’s built in the quiet, consistent ways we show customers they matter. Steven MacDonald’s recent piece, featuring insights from Lina M. Tonk (CMO at Recurly) and Efrat Ravid (CMO at Quantum Metric), is a timely reminder of that. Lina and Efrat shared three themes that stuck with me: 1: Alignment starts inside. When leadership isn’t aligned, customers notice. Mixed messages create uncertainty—inside the company and out in the market. Alignment doesn’t mean avoiding debate, but it does mean rallying around one clear message that everyone can reinforce consistently. As Efrat put it: “It’s one message, one energy.” And repeating that story until it sticks ensures customers hear it clearly the first time. 2: Listening means acting. Collecting feedback is easy. Acting on it is where trust is earned. Lina emphasized that customers can tell when they’ve been truly heard, because they see changes that reflect their input. That might mean refining a roadmap, adjusting how services are delivered, or changing the way you communicate. Without that follow-through, surveys and conversations lose their value. 3: The story isn’t about you. Product features rarely inspire loyalty. Outcomes do. As Efrat said, “Our job is to serve our customers. It’s their story.” That means positioning yourself as part of their larger journey, with their success as the ultimate measure. When teams focus on customer outcomes over internal wins, they avoid overpromising and build stronger, more collaborative relationships. The takeaway is clear: trust isn’t a marketing tactic, it’s a leadership discipline. It’s shaped by how aligned you are internally, how you listen and act, and how well you make your customer the hero of the story. The companies that get this right don’t just close deals faster, they keep those customers for the long haul. Where in your organization could you shift the focus from “our story” to “their story”? Link to article and where you can access the podcast in comments 👇

OpenAI recently published a case study on Penda Health’s adoption of a clinical copilot, with this conclusion: “We believe AI-based copilots are beginning to enter the Overton window for responsible adoption.” Translation - the next months and years are make or break for ensuring that applied AI in healthcare is safely deployed and clinicians can trust it. To accomplish this, there’s an important feedback loop across product design, evaluations, trust, and outcomes. 🩺 Product - design decisions must engage clinicians as the key stakeholder: ”Penda designed AI Consult to ensure patient safety. The copilot acts as a safety net, identifying potential errors for a clinician to verify rather than taking actions on behalf of clinicians. Importantly, clinicians drive the workflow at every step: when the copilot identifies potential errors, clinicians can choose whether to modify their decisions based on the feedback, and the final decision belongs to the clinician. AI Consult was tailored to Penda’s context, with prompts including Kenyan epidemiological context, guidance on local clinical guidelines, and standard procedures at Penda’s clinics.” 🔍 Evaluations framework - add rigor to assess what’s working: ”108 independent physicians (29 from Kenya) rated the final documentation and decisions from 5666 randomly selected visits to identify errors. They rated four dimensions: the quality of the history; how appropriate the investigations ordered were; whether the diagnosis was correct; and whether the treatment was correct.” 🤝 Trust - effective design decisions backed with eval results builds trust: “We surveyed Penda clinicians (anonymous, consented) about AI Consult’s impact on their care quality. All respondents in the AI group reported that AI Consult helped them improve the quality of care they could deliver, with 75% saying the effect was “substantial”. 🚀 Outcomes - with trust comes adoption, and realizing the promise of AI in clinical practice: “In a study of 39,849 patient visits across 15 clinics, clinicians with AI Consult had a 16% relative reduction in diagnostic errors and a 13% reduction in treatment errors compared to those without.” Summarizing - this is a great example of thoughtful design decisions and effective AI evaluations driving clinician trust and ultimately, better outcomes for patients. Adding a link to the thought leadership piece in comments, it’s worth a read in case you missed it.

Stop counting SLAs. Start measuring outcomes. ↳ SLAs don’t build trust. Results do. Many organizations rely on SLAs because “they’re easy to report.” But they miss what matters most: Metrics green on dashboards—even when users aren’t satisfied Response/resolution targets hit, but the impact still dampened by rework and follow-ups SLAs that protect process, not user perception Here’s what high-trust IT leaders do instead: 1️⃣ Define impact-based outcomes, not just response time ↳ E.g. reduced interruptions, more time for strategic work, improved user satisfaction 2️⃣ Measure experience along with delivery ↳ Regular check-ins, sentiment, feedback, alignment with business KPIs 3️⃣ Show outcomes in plain language ↳ Share results the business cares about—like cost savings, reduced downtime, or increased efficiency The payoff? ✔ Greater trust in IT's delivery ✔ Less firefighting ✔ Stakeholders stop checking SLAs—they start asking “What changed?” I’m pro-ITIL. SLAs have their place. But if your reporting stops there, you’re leaving trust—and growth—on the table. 💬 What outcome metric would you like your business leaders to see most from IT? ♻️ Repost if you believe metrics should move from dashboards to outcomes. 🔔 Follow me, Bob Roark, for Grove Method insights on driving trust and impact in ITSM.

In an industry focused on measuring everything from length of stay to readmission rates, we've overlooked our most fundamental metric: trust. This invisible foundation determines whether our sophisticated systems and advanced technologies actually improve health outcomes. When patients trust their providers, they share critical information, adhere to treatment plans, and return for necessary care. When providers trust their systems, they experience less burnout and make better clinical decisions. Trust isn't just a nice-to-have—it's the prerequisite that makes all other healthcare outcomes possible. The Trust Deficit Yet healthcare faces a profound trust crisis. Patients question whether financial interests outweigh clinical judgment. Providers wonder if systems support their work or just monitor productivity. Both navigate fragmented journeys where crucial information disappears between handoffs. We've designed systems that actively undermine trust: confusing billing, fragmented communication, and environments prioritizing efficiency over connection. Each frustrating interaction erodes the trust essential to healing. Trust as a Design Principle What if we designed for trust as intentionally as we design for efficiency? This means: +Creating transparency where there's typically obscurity: Making costs clear before services are rendered, explaining the why behind clinical decisions, and acknowledging uncertainty when it exists +Building consistency where there's typically variation: Ensuring care feels cohesive across touchpoints and providers share a complete picture of the patient's journey +Enabling human connection where there's typically transactional exchange: Designing environments and workflows that support meaningful conversation and relationship building +Demonstrating competence through thoughtful details: From clear wayfinding to seamless transitions between departments, showing that every aspect of the experience has been considered Measuring What Matters If trust is essential, we must measure it with the same rigor we apply to clinical metrics. This goes beyond satisfaction surveys to capturing specific moments where trust is built or broken: +Did you feel your concerns were taken seriously? +Was information shared in a way you could understand and act upon? +Were financial aspects of your care explained clearly and accurately? +Did your care team demonstrate they were communicating with each other? +Would you feel comfortable bringing up a sensitive health concern with your provider? Trust as Competitive Advantage The organizations that will thrive in healthcare's future aren't just those with the best technology or the most efficient processes—they're those that systematically build and protect trust at every touchpoint. In a world where patients have increasingly diverse options for care, trust becomes the differentiator that builds loyalty and word-of-mouth referrals.