Article Figures & Data
Figures
- Figure 1.
Graphic expression of the risk of heart attack for 100 people over 5 years without and with new medication.
Tables
- Table 1.
Patients’ Responses to 8 Methods of Expressing Benefit From a Hypothetical New Medication That Would Reduce the Risk of a Heart Attack (N = 100)
Encouraged to Take Medication Daily, No. Question (Method) Yes No Undecided By taking this new medication for 5 years, you will be 32% less likely to have a heart attack [relative risk] 85 12 3 By taking this new medication for 5 years, the chances of you having a heart attack will reduce from 23% to 16% [absolute risk, negative framing] 89 11 0 Fourteen people will need to take this new medication for 5 years for 1 person to be prevented from having a heart attack [number needed to treat] 67 26 7 The odds of you having a heart attack are 3 to 1 without medication and 5 to 1 if you take the medication for 5 years [odds ratio] 83 15 2 There are 100 people who have had angina or a heart attack. If they do not take this new medication, then 23 will have a future heart attack and 77 will not. If they all take this new medication for 5 years, then 16 people will have a future heart attack and 7 will be prevented from having a future heart attack [natural frequencies, detailed] 75 22 3 By taking this medication for 5 years, the chances of you not having a heart attack will increase from 77% to 84% [absolute risk, positive framing] 80 17 3 Your risk of a heart attack is 23 in 100. If you take this new medication for 5 years, it will be 16 in 100 [natural frequencies, simplified] 86 13 1 These 2 pictures show in a graph form the risk for 100 people of having a heart attack. The first graph shows the risk over 5 years if the 100 people did not take the new medication. The second graph shows what will happen if all 100 people take this new medication for 5 years to prevent heart attacks [graph] 86 12 2
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.
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- In This Issue: Doctor-Patient, Doctor-System, Doctor-Public