TrustNCT04213625
Do Patients Perceive Surgeons Who Provide Personal Information as More Trustworthy and Empathetic?
A study testing Surgeon Personal Background in people with Trust, run by University of Texas at Austin.
Trial summary
Prior studies have shown that patient trust in their physician is associated with better health outcomes and lower levels of emotional distress. Patients who have low levels of trust in their physician are less satisfied and less likely to adhere to their physician recommendations. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 89 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Trust
- What is being tested?
- Surgeon Personal Background
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 0 participants
- Where
- No sites listed yet
- Study dates
- 1 Aug 2025to Aug 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 89 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Patients (age 18 years or greater) visiting a single orthopaedic hand surgeon
- English fluency and literacy
- Ability to take informed consent
Who cannot join
None listed.
About this study
Official title: Do Patients Perceive Surgeons Who Provide Personal Information ("Self-disclosure") as More Trustworthy and Empathetic?
Prior studies have shown that patient trust in their physician is associated with better health outcomes and lower levels of emotional distress. Patients who have low levels of trust in their physician are less satisfied and less likely to adhere to their physician recommendations. As such, there is a need to better understand factors related to patient trust in their physician.
Purpose: To understand whether patient awareness of a surgeon's personal background improves patient trust in their surgeon.
- Conditions
- Trust
- Being tested
- Surgeon Personal Background
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Surgeon Personal BackgroundOther
Experimental group will receive an information sheet with their surgeon's educational and personal background.
Personal Background
- Favorite outdoor activity/form of exercise
- Favorite hobby
- Family information (children, pets)
- Single sentence about how the clinician conceptualizes excellent patient care
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Control Group | No intervention | Information sheet with only their surgeon's educational background. |
| Intervention | Experimental | Experimental group will receive an information sheet with their surgeon's educational and personal background. Receives: Other: Surgeon Personal Background |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Wake Forest -Trust in Physician score
Before the clinic visit, the research assistant will give patients a sheet that gives them info on their surgeon. Control group will receive an information sheet with only their surgeon's educational background. Experimental group will receive an information sheet with their surgeon's educational and personal background. Immediately after the clinic visit, the research assistant will ask patients to complete Wake Forest Trust in physician survey. Response choices (coding) are: Strongly Agree (5), Agree (4), Neutral (3), Disagree (2), Strongly Disagree (1). Responses are summed (range 5-25) with higher scores indicating more trust.
Measured: Immediately after the clinic visit, patients are given the survey to complete.
Jefferson Scale of Perceived Physician Empathy
Before the clinic visit, the research assistant will give patients a sheet that gives them info on their surgeon. Control group will receive an information sheet with only their surgeon's educational background. Experimental group will receive an information sheet with their surgeon's educational and personal background. Immediately after the clinic visit, the research assistant will ask patients to complete the Jefferson Scale of Patient Perceptions of Physician Empathy. Each item is answered on a 7-point Likert-type scale (from Strongly Disagree = 1 to Strongly Agree = 7), with higher score indicating more empathy.
Measured: Immediately after the clinic visit, patients are given the survey to complete.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted30 Dec 2019
- Study start1 Aug 2025 (estimated)
- Primary completionAug 2025 (estimated)
- Study completionAug 2025 (estimated)
Why it stopped: Deemed infeasible.
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for TrustStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of Texas at AustinThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 0 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Texas at Austin
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, David Ring, University of Texas at Austin
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04213625
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2019-06-0047
- Status last verified
- Jul 2025
- First submitted
- 23 Dec 2019
- Last updated
- 31 Jul 2025
- Results posted
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 31 Jul 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Do Patients Perceive Surgeons Who Provide Personal Information ("Self-disclosure") as More Trustworthy and Empathetic?
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04213625
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2019-06-0047
- Conditions
- Trust
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- WithdrawnReason stopped: Deemed infeasible.
- Enrolment
- 0 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of Texas at AustinUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Aug 2025 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- Aug 2025 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Aug 2025 (estimated)
- First posted
- 30 Dec 2019 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Prior studies have shown that patient trust in their physician is associated with better health outcomes and lower levels of emotional distress. Patients who have low levels of trust in their physician are less satisfied and less likely to adhere to their physician recommendations. As such, there is a need to better understand factors related to patient trust in their physician.
Purpose: To understand whether patient awareness of a surgeon's personal background improves patient trust in their surgeon.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Control Group | No intervention | –Information sheet with only their surgeon's educational background. |
| Intervention | Experimental | Other: Surgeon Personal BackgroundExperimental group will receive an information sheet with their surgeon's educational and personal background. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 89 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Patients (age 18 years or greater) visiting a single orthopaedic hand surgeon
- English fluency and literacy
- Ability to take informed consent
Key exclusion criteria (0 listed)
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Surgeon Personal BackgroundExperimental group will receive an information sheet with their surgeon's educational and personal background. Personal Background * Favorite outdoor activity/form of exercise * Favorite hobby * Family information (children, pets) * Single sentence about how the clinician conceptualizes excellent patient care | Other | Intervention |
Primary outcome
Wake Forest -Trust in Physician score
Time frame: Immediately after the clinic visit, patients are given the survey to complete.
Before the clinic visit, the research assistant will give patients a sheet that gives them info on their surgeon. Control group will receive an information sheet with only their surgeon's educational background. Experimental group will receive an information sheet with their surgeon's educational and personal background. Immediately after the clinic visit, the research assistant will ask patients to complete Wake Forest Trust in physician survey. Response choices (coding) are: Strongly Agree (5), Agree (4), Neutral (3), Disagree (2), Strongly Disagree (1). Responses are summed (range 5-25) with higher scores indicating more trust.
Jefferson Scale of Perceived Physician Empathy
Time frame: Immediately after the clinic visit, patients are given the survey to complete.
Before the clinic visit, the research assistant will give patients a sheet that gives them info on their surgeon. Control group will receive an information sheet with only their surgeon's educational background. Experimental group will receive an information sheet with their surgeon's educational and personal background. Immediately after the clinic visit, the research assistant will ask patients to complete the Jefferson Scale of Patient Perceptions of Physician Empathy. Each item is answered on a 7-point Likert-type scale (from Strongly Disagree = 1 to Strongly Agree = 7), with higher score indicating more empathy.
Results and safety
The study was withdrawn before enrolling participants, so there are no results.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 31 Jul 2025.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Surgeon Personal Background in people with Trust, run by University of Texas at Austin.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 0 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: withdrawn, as of the sponsor's last update on 31 Jul 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study was withdrawn before enrolling participants, so there are no results.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Wake Forest -Trust in Physician score (time frame: Immediately after the clinic visit, patients are given the survey to complete.). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 31 Jul 2025.