Risk Communication

Risk communication is the process of effectively communicating information about the potential harms of care options in terms the patient can understand and act upon. There are many challenges to communicating risk. Many people have limited literacy and numeracy skills. Although challenges exist in doing so, communicating risk effectively is essential to ensuring patients are fully informed and can make comparisons between the risks and benefits of multiple care options.

Our Library

Below you will find samples of our most recent acquisitions in Risk Communication, grouped by resource type.

The Potential of Shared Decision Making to Reduce Health Disparities

March 1, 2011
This article explores evidence that shared decision making can help reduce health disparities by improving patient activation and health outcomes, even for patients with lower health literacy. The authors suggest this is imperative since previous research shows that despite lower knowledge scores, patients with less education and income felt extremely well informed with respect to medication and screening decisions.…  Continue reading →
Posted in Risk Communication | Tagged Benjamin Moulton, health disparities, health literacy, shared decision making Permalink

Patient-focused Interventions: A Review of the Evidence

August 1, 2006
Patient-focused interventions are those that recognise the role of patients as active participants in the process of securing appropriate, effective, safe and responsive healthcare. There is a growing belief among policy-makers that patients/citizens can contribute to quality improvement at both an individual and a collective level.…  Continue reading →
Posted in Literacy and Numeracy, Patient Involvement | Tagged health care, Health Foundation, health literacy, patient engagement, patient participation, patient-centered care, Picker Institute Europe, shared decision making Permalink