This Article Full Text (OnlineFirst PDF) All Versions of this Article: 1062860608330827v1 24/2/108    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Mazor, K. M. Articles by Kunches, L. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Mazor, K. M. Articles by Kunches, L. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Communicating Hospital Infection Data to the Public: A Study of Consumer Responses and Preferences

¹ Meyers Primary Care Institute and University of Massachusetts Medical School
² John Snow, Inc., Boston, MA

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: Kathleen.mazor{at}umassmed.ed.

	Abstract

There is growing interest in public reporting of health care performance data relating to healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). This study evaluated different approaches for reporting hospital-level comparative data on HAIs and the extent to which such data might influence hospital choice. Eight versions of a report were developed, varying whether data were consistent across indicators, whether data were presented in text or graphs, and whether confidence intervals were included. A report and a questionnaire were mailed to a randomly selected sample of local residents. Findings provide no evidence that consistency of indicators, data presentation, report format, or inclusion of confidence intervals significantly impacted consumers’ understanding. More educated consumers reported greater understanding of the reports. Responses suggested that public reporting of comparative data on HAIs could influence hospital choice, but other factors including prior experience, reputation, physicians’ recommendations, and insurance coverage are also influential. Most consumers understand information on HAIs when it is presented in a short, simple report, and most correctly select the best or worst hospital. Consumers may be influenced by such data, but other factors are likely to be as or more important. (Am J Med Qual XXXX;XX:xx-xx)

First published on February 23, 2009, doi:10.1177/1062860608330827

American Journal of Medical Quality 2009;24:108.

A more recent version of this article appeared on March 1, 2009


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?