Getting tools used: lessons learned from successful decision support tools unrelated to health care.

Abstract

(1) The success of decision support tools outside of health care derives from focusing on decisions important to consumers, tailoring content to consumers' concerns and needs, and sponsorship by an independent, trusted organization with a business model that supports sustained marketing and refinement. (2) Current approaches to decision support tools within health care will benefit from basing future efforts on a clearer understanding of the interests and capacities of target audiences, as well as providing information that aligns with both the timing and range of decisions health care consumers face. In addition, there must be a thoughtful approach to building consumer trust accompanied by a long-term funding commitment or revenue model that will enable decision support tools to become a familiar, expected aspect of health care