National Survey on Americans as Health Care Consumers: An Update on the Role of Quality Information

This survey of Americans by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) shows that the recent attention to medical errors may have entered the public’s consciousness since it is now among the public’s leading measures of health care quality. The survey also found that the public is more likely to rely on recommendations of friends, family and health professionals they know than on existing standardized quality indicators. Few people are currently going online to find information about the quality of providers, but over one in four say they would be likely to turn to the web in the future for such information.

• Chartbook: Survey Highlights
• Toplines/Survey