OBJECTIVE: Patient-physician communication and patient satisfaction are important elements of cancer care. Trust is considered to be crucial for the patient-physician relationship, yet little is to be found in the literature regarding what factors may influence trust.

METHODS: We assessed predictors of trust in health-care professionals and in the medical care by administering two questionnaires, one at start of chemotherapy treatment and one at the time of the third chemotherapy cycle, to 304 parents of children with newly diagnosed cancer at the Children's Cancer Hospital in Cairo, Egypt.

RESULTS: Parents' trust in the medical care at the time of the child's third chemotherapy cycle was significantly associated with the following at the start of treatment: having received at least moderate information about the disease (relative risk (RR) 13.2; 95% CI 7.8-22.3) and the treatment (RR 17.2; 95% CI 9.5-31.4), having the opportunity to communicate with the child's physicians (RR 21.3; 95% CI 11.7-38.8), being satisfied with the physicians conversation style (RR 30.6; 95% CI 14.4-64.9), having the emotional needs met (RR 22.2; 95% CI 11.8-41.9), and being met with care by the child's physicians (RR 32.0; 95% CI 15.2-67.7). After multivariable model selection, the strongest predictor of trust at the time of the third chemotherapy cycle was to be met with care at the start of treatment.

CONCLUSION: Parents being met with care by the child's physicians at the beginning of the child's chemotherapy treatment develop an increased trust in the medical care.