Responsiveness of the Effective Consumer Scale (EC-17).
OBJECTIVE
The Effective Consumer Scale (EC-17) comprises 17 items measuring the main skills and behaviors people need to effectively manage their healthcare. We tested the responsiveness of the EC-17.


METHODS
Participants, in 2 waves of a 6-week Arthritis Self-Management Program (ASMP) from Arthritis Ireland, received a questionnaire at the first and last week of the weekly ASMP. The questionnaire included the EC-17 and 10 other measures for arthritis. Deficits, mean change, and standard deviations were calculated at baseline and Week 6. The EC-17 scores were compared to the Arthritis Self-Efficacy (ASE) and Patient Activation Measure (PAM) scales. Results were presented at OMERACT 9.


RESULTS
There is some overlap between the EC-17 and the ASE and PAM; however, most items of greatest deficit in the EC-17 are not covered by those scales. In 327 participants representing both intervention waves (2006 and 2007), the EC-17 was more efficient than the ASE but less efficient than the PAM for detecting improvements after the ASMP, and was moderately correlated with the PAM.


CONCLUSIONS
The EC-17 appears to measure different skills and attributes than the ASE and PAM. Discussions with participants at OMERACT 9 agreed that it is worthwhile to measure the skills and attributes of an effective consumer, and supported the development of an intervention (such as proposed online decision aids) that would include education in the categories in the EC-17.
Santesso
Nancy
N
Cochrane Musculoskeletal Group; and the Epidemiology Unit, Ottawa Health Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
Rader
Tamara
T
Wells
George A
GA
O'Connor
Annette M
AM
Brooks
Peter M
PM
Driedger
Michelle
M
Gallois
Cindy
C
Kristjansson
Elizabeth
E
Lyddiatt
Anne
A
O'Leary
Gráinne
G
Prince
Monica
M
Stacey
Dawn
D
Wale
Janet
J
Welch
Vivian
V
Wilson
Andrew J
AJ
Tugwell
Peter S
PS
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001168:Arthritis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012648:Self Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires