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Published on: January 12, 2018
Using comparison scenarios to improve prenatal risk communication.
Stefania Pighin1, Lucia Savadori1, Elisa Barilli1
1Department of Cognitive Sciences and Education, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy (SP, LS, EB)
Summary
Communicating prenatal risks of chromosomal anomalies with comparison scenarios improves risk perception for most women. However, this benefit is less pronounced for individuals with lower numeracy skills.
Area of Science:
- Medical Genetics
- Health Psychology
- Decision Science
Background:
- Prenatal screening tests identify risks for chromosomal anomalies.
- Communicating these risks effectively is crucial for informed decision-making.
- Understanding risk perception is key to improving patient comprehension.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if comparison scenarios enhance women's ability to distinguish prenatal risk levels for chromosomal anomalies.
- To examine the impact of numerical comparison points on risk perception.
- To assess the role of numeracy skills in understanding communicated risk.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments utilized a 3 (risk level) × 3 (scenario) between-subjects design.
- Participants evaluated hypothetical prenatal screening risk values (low, medium, high).
- Risk values were presented alone or with comparison scenarios; numeracy was assessed in Experiment 2.
Main Results:
- Comparison scenarios significantly improved risk differentiation across risk levels compared to standalone values.
- The effectiveness of comparison scenarios varied based on participants' numeracy skills.
- High-numerate individuals benefited from comparison scenarios, while low-numerate individuals showed no significant improvement.
Conclusions:
- Comparison scenarios are a valuable tool for communicating prenatal chromosomal anomaly risks.
- The impact of comparison scenarios is moderated by individual numeracy.
- Tailoring risk communication strategies to numeracy levels may optimize understanding.
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