The effect of organizational trust on corporate reputation in health institutions: A study in Afyonkarahisar state hospitals

In the context of the health sector, which encompasses a multitude of complex elements, the concept of health institutions immediately comes to mind. In order to address a multitude of issues, including staff satisfaction, effective management, the quality of care provided, and the public's perception of the management of health institutions, it is crucial to understand the role of trust in the health professionals' relationship with their institution, their managers, and their colleagues. This trust, in turn, is influenced by the reputation of the institution and the perception of its managers and colleagues. In this context, research conducted / to be conducted on this subject will provide significant benefits to the relevant parties. The aim of this study is to reveal whether organisational trust has an effect on corporate reputation in healthcare institutions. The theoretical infrastructure was revealed by scanning literature about the concepts that constitute the variables of the research. Subsequently, the opinions of healthcare professionals working in public hospitals were obtained through a survey. The research population consisted of health professionals working in 10 public hospitals providing services in the Afyonkarahisar city centre and its districts, with a total of 900 health professional surveys evaluated. The responses to the survey were analysed using a range of statistical techniques, including factor analysis, reliability analysis, percentage, frequency, arithmetic mean and standard deviation values, t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Tukey multiple comparison test, correlation analysis and regression analysis. According to the findings, it has been concluded that the level of organisational trust of healthcare professionals (together with the sub-dimensions of trust in the institution they work for, their managers and colleagues) has a low, significant and positive effect on the corporate reputation they perceive, and the hypothesis and sub-hypotheses of the research were supported. While the research has shown that organisational trust has an impact on the institutional reputation perceived by healthcare professionals, it has also been found that the level of trust healthcare professionals have in the institution itself, its managers and colleagues also affects the institutional reputation they perceive. In the light of the research findings, it is recommended that healthcare institutions and managers organise meetings and create environments where healthcare professionals can meet face to face on a regular basis, come together and exchange views, as this will give healthcare professionals the opportunity to express and resolve the problems they encounter without any intermediaries. Keywords: Health institutions, organizational trust, corporate reputation, Afyonkarahisar state hospitals, health professionals.