When a doctor describes a complication as rare or unlikely, patients may interpret the danger very differently than clinicians intend. A new analysis argues that relying on vague words instead of clear figures can lead people to overestimate risks and make less informed choices.<\/p>\n
The recommendations come from a paper published April 29 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine by researchers including Ellen Peters of the University of Oregon, Paul K. J. Han of the National Cancer Institute and Clara N. Lee of the University of North Carolina. The authors focus on everyday decisions, from medication side effects to treatment options, where risk communication shapes consent.<\/p>\n
Studies in medical decision-making have found that verbal labels alone can inflate perceptions of harm, especially when patients are anxious or facing complex information. Even when numeracy varies widely, many patients report higher trust when clinicians provide numbers alongside plain-language explanations.<\/p>\n
The authors urge clinicians to pair descriptors with specific probabilities, such as stating that a side effect occurs in 7 percent of people. That approach can calibrate expectations and reduce the tendency to assume the worst from a general warning.<\/p>\n
They also recommend simplifying what is shared in the moment by focusing on what is relevant to the patient\u2019s situation. In practice, that can mean doing the math for multi-year risks or skipping options that are not realistic given a person\u2019s condition.<\/p>\n
Numbers can still mislead if they are presented without context, the paper notes. Comparisons between options, or explaining what clinicians generally consider a low or high risk, can help patients understand whether a figure is meaningful.<\/p>\n
The authors also stress acknowledging uncertainty, since risk estimates come from available evidence and may not capture individual factors. They argue that being transparent about what is known and unknown can improve shared decision-making rather than undermine confidence.<\/p>\n
One practical tool highlighted is the teach-back method, where a clinician asks a patient to repeat the pros and cons in their own words. It can reveal misunderstandings early and allow the doctor to correct them quickly.<\/p>\n
Patients can also advocate for clearer risk communication by asking for the chance of a side effect or outcome in absolute terms. If the information feels overwhelming, the authors suggest asking to narrow the discussion to the most important benefits and harms for that specific decision.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New research says vague terms like rare can distort risk perception, and urges doctors to use clear numbers, context and teach-back to support better choices.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9967,9966,9968,1214,9965,9969],"miestas":[],"class_list":["post-18808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-relationships","tag-bendras-sprendimu-priemimas","tag-informuotas-sutikimas","tag-medicinos-statistika","tag-pacientu-sauga","tag-rizikos-komunikacija","tag-sveikatos-rastingumas"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cp.snarskis.lt\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cp.snarskis.lt\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cp.snarskis.lt\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cp.snarskis.lt\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18808"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cp.snarskis.lt\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18808\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cp.snarskis.lt\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cp.snarskis.lt\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cp.snarskis.lt\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18808"},{"taxonomy":"miestas","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cp.snarskis.lt\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/miestas?post=18808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}