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Communicating certainty via verbal probability phrases: comparing health contexts with no context
Yiyun Shou1,2,3, Lok Him Lee4, Joey Elizabeth Yeo5
1Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore. yiyun.shou@nus.edu.sg.
BMC Primary Care
|January 20, 2025
Summary
Patients interpret medical probability phrases differently based on their beliefs and trust in doctors. Refuting phrases may offer more reassurance than affirming ones in health communication.
Area of Science:
- Medical Communication
- Health Psychology
- Decision Science
Background:
- Medical professionals use verbal probability phrases to convey certainty and uncertainty.
- Effective communication of health information is crucial for patient understanding and decision-making.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate factors influencing the interpretation of probability phrases used by doctors.
- To understand how context and individual differences affect patient perception of medical certainty and uncertainty.
Main Methods:
- Experimental study with a randomized factorial design.
- Examined context-related and individual difference factors.
- Assessed interpretation across phrase directions and contextual frames.
Main Results:
- Context significantly impacted interpretation of probability phrases, irrespective of certainty level.
- Prior beliefs were the primary driver of context effects.
- Reliance on experts reduced the influence of prior beliefs during uncertainty; refuting phrases offered more reassurance than affirming ones.
Conclusions:
- Patient perception of communicated medical outcomes can differ from intended meaning due to prior beliefs, reliance on doctors, and phrase direction.
- Medical professionals should consider audience's prior experiences and foster trust to mitigate bias in clinical risk communication.
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