Designing Effective Health Education for Patients Seeking Unregulated Stem Cell Interventions

项目总结/摘要 美国有超过1,000家诊所在销售未经科学证实的干细胞干预（SCI）。 不受联邦监管不受监管的SCI对患者的一个主要风险是 错误的消息这导致成千上万的患者服用不受管制的SCI， 经济和情感上的伤害我们的老龄人口与慢性疾病是干细胞的主要目标 广告。他们代表了一个独特的健康消费者群体， 选择，有一个愿望，以控制他们的医疗保健，并积极寻求信息在互联网上的非- 常规治疗。几项研究表明，诊所积极营销不准确或虚假的 向患者提供有益的、前沿的、安全有效的SCI信息。迄今为止， 目前尚不清楚患者认为哪些健康信息来源可信，或者患者如何区分 相反的消息，例如广告与警告。这项研究的总体目标是 促进这一新的健康消费者群体做出知情决策， 慢性病本研究的主要目的是探讨患者的知识和信念， 不受监管的SCI，他们对在线健康信息可信度的看法，以及他们对 在线广告和警告信息的可信度和说服力。我们将应用 这项形成性研究，通过健康行为和行为改变的理论，发展新的 从错误信息或正确的误解不受管制的SCI沿着 提供有关干细胞手术的循证信息。我们的三个具体目标是 描述患者的知识、信念、在线信息寻求习惯和社交网络， 考虑不受管制的SCI（目标1）;探索患者对来源可信度的看法（专家与 （目标2）有关严重急性呼吸道感染的视频和文字广告及警告的说服力; 开发并预先测试一种试点沟通干预措施，以使患者免受错误信息的影响， 纠正对不受监管的SCI的误解（目标3）。我们将使用定性研究方法来解决 所有这三个目标，并从一个独特的患者数据库中招募潜在的参与者， 再生咨询服务，了解更多关于SCI的情况。我们的工作尤其 创新，因为它将健康行为和社会心理学理论与患者感知数据相结合， 为设计传播干预措施提供信息，以打击错误信息。在完成本探索性研究后， 研究，我们将能够制作突出和可信的在线信息，以解决未满足的问题 这一群体的健康消费者的信息需求，并帮助解决全球健康问题， 不受管制的干细胞和再生干预。

Project Summary/Abstract There are over 1,000 clinics in the U.S. marketing scientifically unsubstantiated stem cell interventions (SCIs) outside federal regulation and oversight. One major risk to patients from unregulated SCIs is the harm of being misinformed. This has led tens of thousands of patients to take an unregulated SCI resulting in physical, financial, and emotional harm. Our aging population with chronic diseases is the main target of stem cell commercials. They represent a unique group of health consumers who have exhausted conventional medical options, have a desire to control their healthcare, and are actively seeking information on the internet for non- conventional treatments. Several studies have shown that clinics aggressively market inaccurate or false information to patients where SCIs are conveyed as beneficial, cutting-edge, and safe and effective. To date, it is unclear what sources of health information patients consider credible or how patients differentiate between opposing messages such as an advertisement versus a warning. The overall goal of this line of research is to advance informed decision-making by this new group of health consumers searching alternative options for chronic conditions. The primary purpose of this study is to explore patients’ knowledge and beliefs regarding unregulated SCIs, their views on the credibility of online health information, and their perceptions on the credibility and persuasiveness of online advertisements and warning messages. We will apply the results of this formative research, informed by theories of health behavior and behavior change, to develop novel messages to inoculate patients from misinformation or correct misconceptions about unregulated SCIs along with providing evidence-based information about stem cell procedures. Our three specific aims are to characterize patient knowledge, beliefs, online information seeking habits, and social networks when considering unregulated SCIs (Aim 1); explore patients’ perceptions of source credibility (expert versus a person like me) and persuasiveness of video and text-based advertisements and warnings about SCIs (Aim 2); and develop and pre-test a pilot communication intervention to inoculate patients from misinformation and correct misconceptions about unregulated SCIs (Aim 3). We will use qualitative research methods to address all three aims and recruit potential participants from a unique database of patients who have called into a regenerative consultation service to find out more about SCIs for their condition. Our work is particularly innovative as it combines theories of health behavior and social psychology with patient perception data to inform the design of communication interventions to combat misinformation. Upon completing this exploratory research, we will be able to craft online messages that are salient and credible to address the unmet informational needs of this group of health consumers and help address the global health problem of unregulated stem cell and regenerative interventions.