Trust in Health Services During and After COVID-19: Believing to Trust, Knowing to Believe

Abstract

Backround: This research aimed to measure the multidimensional trust in the health services and health perception of individuals with health literacy under the conditions of COVID-19.

Methods: This research was a relational, descriptive and cross-sectional study. A total of 1025 participants were reached in our study. Three different scales were used of the multidimensional trust scale in health services, health perception scale and a health literacy scale. SPSS 22.0 package program (regression, Cronbach alpha and t-test analyses), R 4.2.2 package program and Rstudio (correlation and distribution tests) were used for statistical analysis in the study.

Results: The effect of health perception on multidimensional trust in health services was significant (B=.261±0.031; β=0.262; p=0.000 <0.05). Additionally, the effect of health literacy on multidimensional trust in health services was also significant (B=0.072±0.026; β=0.083; p=0.007<0.05). Finally, health literacy was found to have a significant effect on health perception (B=0.192±0.020; β=0.272; p=0.000 <0.05).

Conclusion: Especially during the pandemic period, health literacy affected health perception and trust in the health services. Health literacy was a partial mediator variable between health perception and multidimensional trust in health services.