Rebuilding (my) trust in healthcare: a mixed-methods study and theatre performance about trust erosion and its repair in Finland

Application summary

Trust in Finland’s healthcare system is eroding – and with it, the health and wellbeing of those who rely on it most. When trust in healthcare falters, it can cascade into broader discontentment with public institutions, decreasing democratic participation. Drawing upon social organization theory, we conceptualize trust as system or institutional trust, meaning the trust citizens place in public institutions responsible for healthcare provision. This interdisciplinary project confronts the ongoing trust erosion in Finland head-on. How does trust in healthcare break – and what can rebuild it? We explore the question scientifically and artistically through a mixed-methods study and a documentary theater performance. We invite society not only to observe, but to participate in all processes that seek the answer. Diverse perspectives across gender, age, socioeconomic position, health status, rural vs. urban residence, and ethnic background are captured by artistic and scientific methods. Factors contributing to trust erosion and rebuilding are identified through 25 problem-centered interviews. Those interviews inform a questionnaire quantifying the prevalence of identified factors and inspire the writing process of a documentary theatre play. Videos we shoot following the patient journey provide insights unattainable with scientific methods, act as input for scientific data collection and as material used on stage. Through theatre, we want scientific findings to reach a wider audience and sparking public dialogue between citizens and the system meant to serve them. During the theater performances the audience participates organically through voting and opportunities to express themselves. Public discussions follow the performance, fostering mutual understanding between citizens and invited policymakers. Reflecting upon each other while carrying shared elements, this united artistic and scientific approach will initiate a unique social dialogue about trust.