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The Article in Brief
Background The way in which information is presented influences patients' decisions about medical care and treatment. This study compares methods of presenting health risk information to patients with heart disease. In particular, it looks at which methods encourage patients to take preventive medication and which methods they best understand.
What This Study Found Most patients in this study would take a hypothetical medication to reduce risk of heart attack, no matter how the risk information is presented. Even so, patients prefer a graphic format showing risk of heart attack to other methods.
Implications
- Using visual aids may be the best way to present risks and benefits of medical treatment.