Patients' And Consumers' Use Of Evidence.

Expectations regarding self-determination in medical care have risen, alongside the anticipation of an expanded role for patients as consumers in meeting policy goals--such as those surrounding health care costs, quality, and outcomes. These expectations are fueled, and potentially supported, by a rise in easily accessible information on medical care. For example, numerous government and private websites now post online ratings or "report cards" about the quality and performance of hospitals, physicians, and nursing homes. Crowdsourced ratings (such as Yelp's) are also playing a growing role and even have some power to predict results found in official reports. While it is too early to tell if consumers' behavior will align with policy goals, researchers have begun to explore patients' and consumers' attitudes about the role that medical evidence should play in treatment decisions and the relationship between the cost and quality of care.