(1049) Relationship Between Patient Trust and Adverse Perinatal Outcomes Among Black and White Pregnant Patients

Objective: To evaluate trust in physicians among different self-reported patient races and evaluate if trust was a contributing factor to adverse perinatal outcomes by evaluating the interplay of trust, patient race and a severe maternal morbidity composite.

Study Design: The 10-item Wake Forest Physician Trust Scale (WFPTS) was administered to pregnant individuals from July 2021- January 2022 (score 10-50; higher scores indicating higher trust) in an academic, primarily Medicaid-funded, OB/GYN practice in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The survey also included demographic information including self-reported race, household income, and education. Pregnancy and delivery data were abstracted from medical records and coded into a binary adverse perinatal outcome. The composite outcome included any of the following events: transfusion, hospital readmission, intensive care unit admission, non-live birth, PPROM, and pre-term birth. Categorical variables were compared using Fisher exact tests and continuous variables using Wilcoxon rank sum tests. Logistic and Quasi-Poisson regressions were used to adjust for confounding effects.

Results: Average WFPTS score was 40.1±4.7, indicating moderate-high trust. There was no difference in trust scores between Black patients compared to all other races (40.5±4.5 vs 39.4±4.9, p=0.116), which held after confounding adjustment for income, age, and education. The adverse perinatal outcome composite occurred in 19% (n=37) of the study cohort. There were no significant associations between the composite adverse outcome and patient race (aOR 1.65, 95% CI 0.64-4.28, p=0.301) or trust score (aOR 1.03, 95% CI 0.95-1.12, p=0.451).

Conclusion: This study showed high levels of trust in physicians across all racial groups. Neither trust score nor race was related to adverse perinatal outcomes in our cohort.