Lisa M. Schwartz|Steven Woloshin|H. Gilbert Welch
Risk Communication in Clinical Practice: Putting Cancer in Context
White River Junction VA Medical Center
clinicians increasingly urgedeven mandatedto help patients make informed medical decisions paying attention risk counseling many role risk counseling new unfamiliar effort made difficult given practical constraints created 15minute visits competing demands eg patients chief complaint institutional needswe detail threepart approach improving risk communication acknowledging role clinicians patients communicators ie media public health agenciesofficebased tools help clinicians suggest two ways help make uptodate estimates disease risk treatment benefit easily available office visits propose development comprehensive population database disease risk treatment benefit created maintained federal government educating patients propose understanding numbers health tutorial reviews basic concepts probability application medical studies help people become better critical readers health information guidance communicators finally propose writers guide risk communication set principles help health communicators present data public clearly objectivelyin addition tools help clinicians better communicate risk information serious efforts improve risk communication must go beyond clinic efforts help public better interpret health risk information guide communicators better present information place start