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Cool but counterproductive: interactive, Web-based risk communications can backfire
Brian J Zikmund-Fisher1, Mark Dickson, Holly O Witteman
1Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States. bzikmund [at] umich.edu
Interactive graphics for patient decision aids may hinder understanding and lead to worse outcomes compared to static visuals. Researchers found interactive tools can distract patients, negatively impacting their ability to process risk information effectively.
Area of Science:
- Health Informatics
- Decision Science
- Human-Computer Interaction
Background:
- Traditional patient decision aids use static numbers or images for risk communication.
- Interactive graphing of risk information may enhance statistical processing and decision-making.
- Web-based decision aids could potentially integrate interactive risk visualization tools.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate if interactive graphics improve knowledge and decision-making compared to standard risk graphics.
- To assess the impact of interactive risk visualization on understanding treatment side effect risks.
Main Methods:
- 3,371 participants from a diverse internet panel reviewed a hypothetical thyroid cancer treatment scenario.
- Risk information was presented using static pictographs (icon arrays) or interactive "fill-in-the-blank" animations.
- Scenarios included conditions of strong dominance, mild dominance, and trade-offs between treatments.
Main Results:
- Interactive graphic conditions showed significantly lower survey completion rates (65.5%) than static images (79.3%).
- Participants using interactive graphs were less likely to identify and select the dominant treatment option (61.6% vs 73.8%).
Conclusions:
- Interactivity in risk presentations can increase respondent burden and distract from statistical understanding.
- Visually appealing interactive features may lead to poorer decision-making outcomes than static formats.
- Developers of patient decision aids should consider potential drawbacks of interactive risk graphics.
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