Takeaway
Trust in established medical standards is at a low ebb. Clinicians can help repair and build trust by receiving all patient stories and beliefs, no matter how misguided, with curiosity and concern.
Connecting with Patients | November 6, 2025 | 1 min read
By Jeffrey Millstein, MD, Penn Medicine
“I’m not a medicine person.”
I hear this phrase from patients a few times a week in my primary care practice. It took me a while to realize it’s code for, “I don’t entirely trust standard medical guidelines as well as what I discover on my own.”
With our public health system in a state of disarray, and validation of any health idea readily available on social media or the internet, I understand this sentiment. Today, more than ever, demonstrating that understanding is required for productive patient-clinician collaboration.
Patients crave feeling thoroughly seen, heard, and understood above all else. To that end, healthcare professionals routinely offer active listening, reflection, compassionate curiosity, and empathic support to patients.
Here’s the problem—many patient stories are now so rife with medical misunderstanding and misdirection that it’s ever more challenging to receive them without judgement. Here are a few real-world examples:
“I heard that mammograms cause cancer.”
“The COVID vaccine is just a population control operation.”
“I have a great immune system, and vaccines will just mess it up.”
As outlandish as these statements are, failing to meet them with genuine concern and interest risks severing whatever strands of trust in medical standards my patient still clings to. It’s best to offer patients psychological safety as they share their beliefs, worries, and initial conclusions, and begin from a place of acceptance.
“Trust takes years to build, seconds to break, and forever to repair.”
—Dhar Mann
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This piece expresses the views solely of the author. It does not necessarily represent the views of any organization, including Johns Hopkins Medicine.