What works best in terms of translating statistical data on health risks into information patients can use to make informed decisions about treatment or non-treatment?

The increase in patient involvement in finis making regarding their own health in recent days have led to relevant changes in doctor-patient communication. Doctors deprivation to climb up accepting the increased involvement of patients and engage in sh ard out decision making instead of adopting the autonomous role (Godolphin, 2003). peril communication is one way of providing much information to modify patients to make confident bump-relevant decisions (Edwards, 2003). at that place are some arguments that risk communication is futile due to the lack of statistical savvy in lay people. However, there is evidence that this statistical innumeracy riddle should not only be attri unlessed to the mental deficiency of the recipient, but is largely due to poor representation of the information (Gigerenzer, 2002). There are various ways of communicating risk, and most are confusing. Risk communicators need to represent risk information in ways that would be unambiguous and easily interpretable by lay people.

Figures and estimates should always be used instead of innate descriptive terms such as low risk. Doctors need to present information in a neutral and documental way as patients tend to look for clues, no subject area how subtle, that could tell them what to do.



Logically equivalent information could be express in different ways (Wilson, Purdon & Wallston, 1988) and these have been shown to come across interpretation and decision making (Kahneman & Tversky, 1979). For example, positive skeletal frame: 97% take a chance of survival is found to be more effective in persuading people to take a spoiled option than a negative framing: 3% chance of fatality (Kühberger, 1998). Another example is it is more effective when considering the potentiality losses from not taking a test, say in mammography: loss of good health, longevity and family relationships; than the potential gains such as maintenance of good health (Edwards, Elwyn & Mulley, 2002). To avoid unintentional...

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