Assessment of risk communication

Lyndal Trevena discusses the influence risk communication has on patients’ perceptions of risk and the importance of clear, effective communication in order to aid good quality decisions and shared decision making.¹

Having recently made a successful application for GPVTS, I feel there is a place for assessment of risk communication skills as early as selection into the training programme, as this is such a key competency needed in general practice. Although the selection process effectively assesses both communication skills and clinical problem solving skills separately, the assessments do not integrate these two aspects. Evidence shows that using quantitative information improves the accuracy of risk perception, but there is a delicate balance between presenting this information appropriately to the patient, and overloading them with statistics and jargon that they would find difficult to process.² This skill could be assessed, for example, in a simulated scenario where the candidate is given statistics such as Number Needed to Treat for a particular medication. The candidate is then required to explore the patient’s ideas, concerns and expectations, and by using any significant information gleaned from that discussion explain the need for the medication, incorporating any statistics provided on the candidate sheet. In this way assessment of risk communication can be incorporated into a station assessing other skills such as empathy and problem solving, reflecting ‘real world’ clinical practice more accurately.