Differences among consumer segments with regard to perceptions of comparative effectiveness research

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Consumer Health Informatics
• Decision Sciences

Background:

• Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) aims to inform healthcare decisions.
• Understanding consumer engagement with CER findings is crucial for effective translation.
• Diverse consumer characteristics influence health-related decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and characterize distinct consumer segments based on their health-related decision-making.
• To examine differences in knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors among these segments regarding CER.
• To inform strategies for disseminating CER findings to relevant consumer groups.

Main Methods:

• Online survey administered to 603 adults with chronic conditions.
• Consumer segmentation based on a two-item tool assessing skills and motivation.
• Analysis of reported knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors related to CER.

Main Results:

• Active consumers (high skills, high motivation) demonstrated the highest engagement in health behaviors.
• Passive consumers (low skills, low motivation) showed the lowest engagement.
• High-effort consumers (low skills, high motivation) exhibited more positive attitudes and greater engagement than complacent consumers (high skills, low motivation).

Conclusions:

• Consumer segmentation is essential for effective CER dissemination.
• Tailored strategies are required to address varying consumer skill and motivation levels.
• Optimizing CER translation necessitates understanding and adapting to consumer differences.