Hospital trust or doctor trust? A fuzzy analysis of trust in the health care setting

Are interpersonal trust and organizational trust mutually complementary or substitutable in determining patient purchasing intention? To address this issue, we develop a theoretical model to distinguish and test the interrelationship between the two types of trust in the setting of the health care industry. Using multiple regression analysis and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, we reveal that organizational trust and interpersonal trust are complements rather than substitutes. We also examine how four primary boundary conditions (i.e., trust propensity, perceived behavioral control, price sensibility, and brand awareness) influence the relationships between the two types of trust and purchase intention. Our findings provide unique insights for health care practitioners to effectively manage trust in hospital-doctor-patient relationships.