Individuals increasingly access peer-generated health information (PGHI) through social media, especially online health communities (OHCs). Previous research has documented PGHI topics, credibility assessment strategies, and PGHI's connection with well-being. However, there is limited evidence on where, when, and why individuals seek PGHI and how they use PGHI in health decisions. We conducted in-person and online focus groups with verified OHC members (N = 89)-representing 50 different medical conditions and 77 OHCs-to explore these topics. Two researchers independently coded transcripts with NVivo 9.2 and thematically analyzed responses. Most individuals accidentally discovered PGHI during Web searches rather than intentionally seeking it. Individuals valued PGHI primarily as an alternative information source about treatment options, self-care activities, and health care provider questions rather than a source of emotional support, and they acknowledged PGHI's limitation as anecdotal evidence. Individuals used PGHI as a springboard for additional research and patient-provider discussions, ultimately making treatment decisions alongside providers. These findings suggest that individuals use PGHI in much the same way they use traditional online health information and that PGHI facilitates, rather than obstructs, shared decision making with health care providers.

To enhance the health and well-being of patients managing type 2 diabetes, the five grantees comprising the Alliance to Reduce Disparities in Diabetes implemented evidence-based approaches to patient self-management education as part of their programs. This article describes strategies implemented by the grantees that may help explain program success, defined as improvement in clinical values and patient-reported outcomes. A process evaluation of grantee programs included interviews and document review at the beginning, midpoint, and end of the Alliance initiative. A total of 97 interviews were conducted over time with 65 program representatives. The Alliance programs served 2,328 people from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds and provided 36,826 diabetes self-management sessions across the intervention sites. Framework analysis of the interviews identified four key themes that emerged across time and program sites that may help account for program success: empowerment, increasing access and support, addressing local needs and barriers, and care coordination. The overall evaluation findings may help other diabetes self-management programs seeking to translate and implement evidence-based approaches to reduce disparities and enhance patient well-being.

This article adds new insights into strategies promoting effective care coordination. The strategies that grantees implemented throughout the program align with ACA requirements, underscoring their relevance to the changing U.S. health care environment and the likelihood of further support for program sustainability.

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IntroductionAs part of its mission, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) communicates with the public regularly about the benefits and risks of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. Effectively communicating risk, however, is a significant public health challenge.ObjectiveTo better understand how different populations understand information communicated by the FDA about drug safety, we conducted a randomized experiment to examine comprehension and other measures of effectiveness of drug safety messages that occurred in a post-market surveillance phase.MethodsWe used an Internet panel survey of 1244 consumers, of whom 58 % used prescription drugs in the past year. Half of the sample panel was randomized to read a previous FDA Drug Safety Communication (DSC) with the drug name changed, and the other half was randomized to read a revised version of the same DSC. We examined how making certain modifications to the way drug risk information is communicated has an impact on comprehension and behavioral intentions, including the user’s likelihood of discontinuing the drug. We also studied how comprehension varied by respondent characteristics, health literacy skills, risk perceptions, and trust in the message.ResultsBased on a five-item comprehension index, the revised version of the message was associated with significantly greater comprehension of the information relative to the standard version (63 vs 52 % correct, p < 0.001). Significantly more respondents found the revised version to be clear (82 vs 73 %, p < 0.000), while fewer in that group reported learning something new (78 % vs 84 %, p = 0.015). No significant differences emerged between the two groups in terms of the message being informative, convincing, or helpful. We found no significant differences between the two groups in terms of behavioral intentions, risk perception, and trust.ConclusionsWe found that making plain language changes to the DSC significantly increased consumers’ level of comprehension of its content, providing support for ongoing use and further exploration of these strategies in pharmacovigilance communication research. The study findings have important implications for future drug safety and other communication messages related to prescription drugs.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s40264-015-0358-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Purpose The aim of this paper is to enhance the effectiveness of pharmacovigilance programs that provide information about medical products to benefit consumers, aid health care professional’s decision-making and improve community health. This research sought to determine whether distinct segments of consumers can be identified for prescription drug safety social marketing and communication activities and if these segments would respond differently to information about prescription drug products. Design/methodology/approach Theories of risk information-seeking behavior were used to develop questions for respondents in an online survey panel. Latent class analyses identified clusters that were similar in their ability to accurately interpret risks and benefits, preferred sources of health information, medication use and other related factors. Multinomial logistic regression models identified demographic and psychographic differences across the segments. Logistic and linear regression models were then used to compare each segment’s responses to a specific drug safety information product. Findings The 1,244 respondents were clustered into four segments: not engaged (12 per cent), low-involvement users (29 per cent), careful users (50 per cent) and social information seekers (9 per cent). These segments were distinguished by perceived seeking control, self-appraisal of skill, information insufficiency, self-efficacy, information competency and health literacy. Sources of health information and health-seeking behaviors were also different across the four segments. Significant differences were found among the segments in their comprehension and perceived utility of the content and their intentions to take relevant actions. Practical implications From an array of potential behavioral influences, adults can be segmented by risk information-seeking constructs and related behaviors. These segments respond differently to drug safety information. Use of the personas developed in this work can help pharmacovigilance programs around the world develop more relevant and tailored social marketing products, services and content. Originality/value A social marketing approach using empirically tested theoretical constructs can be useful for drug safety or pharmacovigilance programs. The results were used to create personas that quickly convey relevant information to drug safety program managers and staff.