We prefer it when they’re the ones who give us our flu shots, and we’ll trust them to tell us what we’re supposed to do after leaving the hospital or doctor’s office. That’s probably because Americans think nurses are more honest and ethical than any other professionals, including doctors, pharmacists and even police officers, according to new Gallup data.
In an online poll that ran Nov. 26 to 29, Gallup asked Americans to rank the honesty and ethical standards of professionals in 22 different fields. Eighty-five percent of respondents said nurses possessed high or very high honesty and ethical standards, compared to 75 percent who said the same about pharmacists and 70 percent who said doctors are highly honest and ethical.
What does not come as a surprise is that nurses top the list — they have for the past 10 years. That’s probably a good thing given that the structure of the healthcare provider system is shifting more weight onto the role of nurses.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
What is a surprise, though, is that the honesty rating of those three medical professions were at the highest levels in the history of this survey. As confusion about healthcare reform and worries about the costs of receiving medical treatment prevail, Americans report going to the doctor less often.
But we trust healthcare professionals more? Some might suggest it’s because the Internet and mobile technology are helping patients educate themselves before and after appointments. Or maybe it’s because consumers have more ways to get in touch with their providers than ever before — although patients still want more doctors to offer more online services.
Doctors may have ranked below nurses and pharmacists, but they at least ranked way above HMO managers, who only 12 percent of surveyors said were honest and ethical. Even more discouraging? Ranked second-to-last were members of Congress, who are charged with agreeing on a plan to avoid the fiscal cliff by the end of the year.
[Graph from Gallup]
