Public Engagement in the Effective Health Care Program (Text Version)

On September 27, 2010, Jean Slutsky made this presentation at the 2010 Annual Conference. Select to access the PowerPoint® presentation (1.4 MB). Free PowerPoint® Viewer (Plugin Software Help).

Slide 1

Public Engagement in the Effective Health Care Program

Jean Slutsky
Director, Center for Outcomes and Evidence

AHRQ Annual Meeting
Bethesda, MD
September 27, 2010

Slide 2

Donald Schön, 1983

• "In the varied topography of professional practice, there is a high, hard ground, where practitioners can make effective use of research-based theory and techniques, and there is a swampy lowland where the situations are confusing 'messes' incapable of technical solution. The difficulty is that the problems of the high ground, however, great their technical interest, are often relatively unimportant to clients or the larger society while in the swamp are the problems of greatest human concern."

Slide 3

Obama, iPad, and the value of information in 21c democracy (and business)

• "What Jefferson recognized [is] that in the long run, their improbable experiment—called America—wouldn't work if its citizens were uninformed, if its citizens were apathetic, if its citizens checked out, and left democracy to those who didn't have the best interests of all the people at heart. It could only work if each of us stayed informed and engaged, if we held our government accountable, if we fulfilled the obligations of citizenship."

Slide 4

Engaging the Public

Image: A screen shot of AHRQ's Effective Health Care Web site is shown; the link for public comments is circled in red.

Slide 5

Suggesting Topics for Research

Image: A screen shot of the Effective Health Care Web site's public comments page is shown.

Slide 6

Image: A screen shot of the Effective Health Care Web site's page on suggested topics for research is shown.

Slide 7

Comment on Key Questions

Image: A screen shot of the Effective Health Care Web site's page to submit comments on key questions is shown.

Slide 8

Commenting on Reports

Image: A screen shot of the Effective Health Care Web site's page to submit comments on reports is shown.

Slide 9

AHRQ Communities Forum on Comparative Effectiveness Research

• An initiative to expand and systematize citizen and stakeholder engagement in AHRQ's Effective Healthcare Program:
  • Citizen Input
  • Stakeholder Input

Slide 10

Definitions

• Citizens—Members of the general public identified without regard to medical background or experience.
• Stakeholders—Persons or groups who have a vested interest in a clinical, research or health policy decision.

Slide 11

Community Forum Components

• Develop and demonstrate deliberative methods and tools for obtaining informed public opinion as an input to decisions related to the conduct of comparative effectiveness research (CER), as well as the application of research results in policy and practice.

Slide 12

So What Have We Learned?

• It is important to have comments received in a central place.
• It is important to have responses centrally reviewed and released.
• In most instances, comments are cordial and useful.
• The volume of comments has been manageable.

Slide 13

The Value of Public Engagement in the Effective Health Care Program

• "Nothing about me without me."
• Understanding issues/values important to patients and providers.
• Relevancy of research to users.
• Dispels myths and fears.

Slide 14

Thank You!

• Jean.slutsky@ahrq.hhs.gov
• http://www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov