Just 40% of Americans say they have a lot of confidence in the country's hospitals and health clinics, according to a STAT analysis of the latest Wellcome Global Monitor published Oct. 10. That matches the share in Portugal and Uruguay. Yet 52% of Americans report a lot of trust in science, double the global figure of 26%.
That split raises a practical question for patients: Why trust the science but not the places that deliver it? Wellcome found that trust in science is closely tied to confidence in a nation's health care system, so the gap could affect whether people seek care, follow treatment advice or return for follow-up visits.
