Interview with Judy Norsigian on Comparative Effectiveness Research

March 28, 2024

Center for Advancing Health | Sept. 19, 2012

This interview is the second in a series between CFAH President and Founder Jessie Gruman and patient and consumer group leaders about their experiences with and attitudes toward comparative effectiveness research (CER). It appeared on CFAH’s Prepared Patient blog.

Judy Norsigian: Before I gave birth to my daughter at home in 1982, I sought out available research about hospital-based births, trying to figure out what were the trade-offs of home births vs. a hospital delivery.’ I was particularly interested in what I could learn about avoiding the risky but routine interventions in the hospital. The research available even then had an influence on me, although it wasn’t great.

The evidence gathered about this question has gotten so much stronger since then. There is now serious CER that helps women with decisions about pregnancy and birth. I would like to think that our work with Our Bodies Ourselves has been an influence on both increasing the amount and improving the quality of women’s health research, and most critically, more public access to health information.

Read the full story: Comparative Effectiveness Research: Judy Norsigian of Our Bodies Ourselves