Communicating information concerning potential medication harms and benefits: What gist do numbers convey?

Abstract

Objectives: Fuzzy trace theory was used to examine the effect of information concerning medication benefits and side-effects on willingness to use a hypothetical medication.Methods: Participants (N=999) were recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Using 3 x 5 experimental research design, each participant viewed information about medication side effects in 1 of 3 formats and information about medication benefits in 1 of 5 formats. For both sideeffects and benefits, one format presented only non-numeric information and the remaining formats presented numeric information. Results: Individuals in the non-numeric side-effect condition were less likely to take the medication than those in the numeric conditions (p < 0.0001). In contrast, individuals in the non-numeric benefit condition were more likely to take the medication than those in the numeric conditions (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that non-numeric side-effect information conveys the gist that the medication can cause harm, decreasing willingness to use the medication; whereas non-numeric benefit information has the opposite effect. Practice Implications: Presenting side-effect and benefit information in non-numeric format appears to bias decision-making in opposite directions. Providing numeric information for both benefits and side-effects may enhance decision-making. However, providing numeric benefit information may decrease adherence, creating ethical dilemmas for providers.3

The effect of counseling on willingness to use a hypothetical medication and perceptions of medication safety

“…Measures used to assess these variables were used in a previous study. 24 Results from that study support the construct validity of the measures.…”

“…24 Briefly, FTT is a dual process model of memory reasoning and development. It suggests that when individuals are exposed to a meaningful stimulus, they encode two types of representations in memory: a specific verbatim representation that captures the exact words/numbers conveyed and one or more gist representations that capture the essential bottom line meaning of the information.…”

Communicating Uncertainty in Written Consumer Health Information to the Public: Parallel-Group, Web-Based Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Presenting quantitative information on treatment effects has become a standard requirement for evidence-based health information and decision aids because probabilities on the benefits and harms support realistic expectations and allow patients to weigh the pros and cons [ 18 ]. Furthermore, words have been shown to be unsuitable to express probabilities in several studies [ 19 , 20 ]. Instead, it might be necessary to provide readers with a clear statement on what a specific type of uncertainty means in order to aid interpretation.…”

Communicating risk of medication side-effects: role of communication format on risk perception

“… 15 , 39 , 40 Research by Blalock and colleagues has also demonstrated that numeric risk information of side-effects may enhance decision making and also increase the willingness to take the medications. 17 …”

“…Recent research conducted by Blalock and colleagues reported that non-numeric (words-only) information on side-effect risk conveys that medication can cause harm and thus decreases willingness to use the medication. 17 Despite the inconsistencies in interpretations with words-only descriptors, pharmacists mostly use vague words-only descriptions in their counseling sessions with patients. 18 , 19 Words-only descriptions seem to be advantageous because they are more natural to use and better appeal to a person’s emotional interests.…”