How Synthesis Tasks Are Affected by Probability Format: A Making Numbers Meaningful Systematic Review.

Area of Science:

• Health communication
• Decision science
• Information design

Background:

• The Making Numbers Meaningful project conducted a systematic review to guide health probability data presentation.
• This review focuses on 'synthesis tasks' where individuals evaluate multiple health option features.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review evidence on how data presentation formats affect outcomes in health probability synthesis tasks.
• To assess the impact of format on perceptual, cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of experimental and quasi-experimental studies comparing quantitative health information formats.
• Searched multiple databases (MEDLINE, Embase, etc.) and hand-searched journals.
• Extracted and synthesized data from 45 unique studies (91 findings).

Main Results:

• Moderate evidence suggests tables are preferred over text for presenting health probabilities in synthesis tasks.
• Behavioral intentions were not significantly affected by text versus table format.
• Effectiveness feelings were not altered by supplementing numbers with narratives.

Conclusions:

• Current evidence on data presentation for health probability synthesis tasks is of moderate strength.
• Further research is needed to enhance understanding of optimal information presentation for complex health decisions.