Consumers have read about the significant number of errors made in hospitals and other health care settings, said Shore in an interview. Self-care has become popular, in part because people aren't sure they trust those charged with taking care of them, while conflicting health information has confused patients.

"One day, we say that something is good for you, the next day it's bad for you," he said.

Through a series of questions and examples in the book, Shore shows how health care providers can instill trust at every level of care. It's not only good medicine, said Shore, but good business and great leadership.

Build quality into every aspect of the patient's experience, from making parking easy to streamlining and clarifying billing, Shore said. Train a staff to be friendly and consistent so that patients know what to expect at each visit. Create a culture around trust, and only hire people who fit that culture.

"Put it in your vision statement," he said. "You have to hire for it, talk about service in orientation, evaluate, and compensate people for that performance measure, and talk about doing that at every touch point." Shore added, "If the receptionist says it will only be a minute, and the patient is there for an hour, the practice has lost the trust of that patient."

Shore has demonstrated the principles of The Trust Prescription for Healthcare through working with the staff at the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System (NS-LIJ) in suburban New York. He participates in the Center for Learning & Innovation at NS-LIJ, established in 2002 to help train leadership in the system. The Center aims to become more cost-efficient by decreasing the time patients wait to be seen, reducing medical errors, and developing a better skilled staff.

The Trust Prescription for Healthcare is available at www.amazon.com and carries recommendations from former HSPH Dean Harvey Fineberg, Michael Dowling, CEO of NS-LIJ, and Alice Jacobs, former president of the American Heart Association.

--PHC