Building Trust in Pharma and Healthcare: A Foundation for Success in a Complex Environment

In today’s dynamic and interconnected world, trust is a cornerstone of successful relationships, especially in the healthcare industry. Rachel Botsman, a leading expert on trust, defines it as “a confident relationship with the unknown.” Trust is required to build relationships and navigate uncertainty. She highlights that the greatest gains in trust occur at moments of vulnerability—moments that healthcare organizations encounter daily.

In a recent discussion among industry peers, Escalent and C Space examined why trust is so crucial, how it can be measured, and the challenges and opportunities it presents in the pharma and healthcare industries. Here’s a spotlight on our discussion and what we unpacked together.

The Crisis in Consumer Trust in Healthcare and Its Causes

Post-COVID, the healthcare industry has seen a dramatic decline in reputation and sentiment. We’ve seen an uptick in parent brand efforts from clients working to tell a more cohesive story that’s bigger than any one product, system, or service to help combat this decline in reputation, hoping to unlock a more meaningful story that resonates and connects with people on a deeper scale. Every healthcare organization, whether a local clinic or a global pharmaceutical company, faces the challenge of building trust in a skeptical world, and parent brands can be a key amplifier of trust.

Today, this perceived crisis in trust is driven by a few factors:

• Social media and information access: The rapid spread of information and misinformation on social media and the internet can quickly undermine trust in healthcare organizations. Patients have more access to information, but also more sources of potential confusion.
• Heightened expectations: Patients are increasingly empowered and informed, leading to higher expectations for transparency, responsiveness, and quality of care.
• Shifting power dynamics: There is a newfound power struggle between patients and providers. With the rise of “Dr. Google,” now a commonly accepted phrase, patients often believe they have the knowledge to challenge their doctor’s diagnosis or recommendation, putting strain on a historically trust-based relationship.

Measuring Brand Trust in Healthcare: A Complex Endeavor

Knowing that trust is dynamic and ever-evolving, finding ways to measure trust can feel unclear. Here are some key strategies:

• Identify and focus on critical moments: Track trust back to value. Leverage established frameworks and tools like the Bayesian Belief Network to pinpoint the beliefs and behaviors that matter most in driving trust. For example, we know from experience that integrity is a critical gatekeeper to trust.
• Measure continuously: Trust is dynamic, so ongoing measurement is crucial. Regularly collect feedback through surveys, patient interviews, and digital analytics to benchmark insights.
• Control what you can: Focus on areas where you have the most influence, such as patient interactions, data security, and transparency. Build processes that make patients feel comfortable sharing their data and thoughts.
• Recognize optimal timing for measurement: Choose the best moments to measure trust, avoiding times of high stress or vulnerability for patients. Monitor survey frequency to avoid fatigue and lackluster feedback. Ensure your methods are efficient and respectful of time and circumstances.

Activating Change to Improve Consumer Trust Is Tough

Improving trust is even harder than measuring it. Here are some tips on how to approach building trust for your healthcare organization or brand:

• Communicate trust’s value internally: Clearly articulate the value and drivers of trust to all employees, so everyone understands and can contribute to building it.
• Build trust: Trust takes time to build but can vanish in an instant. Demonstrate the benefits of building ‘extra’ trust or goodwill. Highlight how a reservoir of goodwill can offset periods when trust may be undermined and in need of repair.
• Keep your consumer strategies simple and actionable: It is often the little things that make a difference. Complexity can be a barrier to effective implementation, so prioritize clarity and simplicity in your trust-building initiatives.
• Maintain a continuous flow of trust: Trust is not a “one and done” but a constant and evolving element that needs to be carefully managed in all internal and external interactions. Employees must be prepared to successfully serve their patients, providers, and stakeholders repeatedly.

Trust is a vital yet complex component of the healthcare industry. By understanding its nuances, learning from successful companies, and applying thoughtful measurement and improvement strategies, health and pharma brands can build and sustain the trust necessary for their long-term success. The journey to trustworthiness is continuous and requires a dedicated, transparent, and patient-centered approach.

Whether it is sustaining, building, or rebuilding trust in your organization, Escalent and C Space help you amplify your efforts to create the most relevant and powerful version of your brand. Together, we provide research and consulting to the top 20 healthcare and life science companies throughout the pre-launch, launch, and post-launch phases to continuously tap into the voice of the customer through strategic insights studies. The resulting marketing and service innovations show that health and life sciences truly “get” their patients and providers—a must in rebuilding trust.

Want to learn more? Let’s connect.