Photo taken on Jan. 22, 2021 shows a healthcare worker watching a patient in the "COVID Area" of the Beverly Hospital in Montebello City, California, the United States. (File photo: Xinhua)

NEW YORK, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- People who mistrust the U.S. health care system put their health and lives at risk because they are less likely to visit a physician, less forthcoming in conversations with clinicians, and less likely to comply with medical advice and prescriptions, reported Harvard Business Review on Thursday.

"Such mistrust can undermine physician-patient interactions, leading to deteriorating patient outcomes and increased physician burnout," said the report.

Research shows that trust in the U.S. health care system -- like that in other areas of American society, including government, science and media -- is declining, according to the report.

"Factors include failures of leadership, growing inequality, political polarization, and an increasing skepticism regarding our collective ability to tackle society's toughest challenges and advance well-being for all," it said.

"Given the stakes, rebuilding public trust in the U.S. health care system, which plunged during the pandemic, must be a priority," it added.