Trust has a moderating effect in forming and maintaining business relationships as it reduces
uncertainty and the perception of risk. The limited research on globalization of medical care
indicates a trend in partnership agreements between the U.S. based organizations and their
foreign counterparts. The growing networks of these culturally diverse medical and non-medical
professionals aim to improve public trust in a highly speculation-dominated industry.
In
mutually unfamiliar environments (i.e. variations in cultural values and economic prosperity
differences between countries) trustworthiness of an exchange partner depend on the perceptions
of parties and the circumstances of their relationships. Patients’ trust in their doctors is in the
core of effective medical practices and physicians have significant impact on patients’ perception
of what and who is being trusted.