Less is more in presenting quality information to consumers.

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Consumer Behavior
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Improving health care quality measurement is a priority.
• Previous consumer health care quality reports were often user-unfriendly and based on non-standardized measures, limiting their utility.
• Information presentation significantly impacts consumer attention and information use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how different information presentation methods affect consumer understanding and use of comparative health care quality data.
• To examine if these effects vary based on consumers' numerical skills (numeracy).

Main Methods:

• Conducted three studies examining consumer responses to comparative hospital performance information.
• Varied the format of information presentation to assess impact on comprehension and choice.
• Analyzed results based on participants' numeracy levels.

Main Results:

• A "less is more" approach to presenting comparative quality information improved consumer hospital choices.
• This simplified presentation was particularly beneficial for consumers with lower numeracy skills.
• Lower numeracy consumers demonstrated higher comprehension and made better decisions when information presentation eased cognitive load.

Conclusions:

• The design of health care quality reports significantly influences consumer decision-making.
• Simplified, user-friendly formats enhance the effectiveness of quality reports, especially for vulnerable populations.
• Sponsors of quality reports should prioritize accessible information design to empower consumers in health care choices.