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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 Dec 1.
Published in final edited form as: Acad Emerg Med. 2016 Dec;23(12):1346–1353. doi: 10.1111/acem.13045

Table 2.

Evidence-based guide to the communication of risks and benefits in SDM scenarios.33,42

1. Use plain language.
2. Using numbers will help improve patient’s understanding of risk.

  1. Use absolute risks, not relative risks.

  2. Use frequencies with a constant denominator (100 or 1000, avoid “1 in X”).

  3. Define a reference class (denominator) and keep this constant (“Of 100 patients like you…”)

  4. Use an incremental risk format to highlight changes from baseline.

3. Keep in mind the variation in literacy and numeracy within the target group, and use pictographs when applicable.
4. Consider presenting only the information most critical to the patients’ decision-making, even at the expense of completeness.
5. Note the time interval over which a risk occurs.