Communicating risk: the main work of doctors

doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7417.0-f

BMJ 2003;327 (27 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7417.0-f

Editor's choice

Communicating risk: the main work of doctors

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

"Dr Smith, your serum potassium is at the upper limit of normal."

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing really. You shouldn't worry."

"Well, why did you tell me?"

"We thought you wanted to be kept informed."

Many doctors are not good at communicating about risk—yetincreasingly it is one of their central tasks. Readers haveasked us to produce this theme issue because they would liketo be helped to do better. This is an issue, I suggest, thatdeserves perhaps two hours' reading—as opposed to themore usual 30 minutes. All doctors—including those inlaboratory based disciplines and public health—have tocommunicate risk to people.

This has become especially important because of the changingnature of the doctor-patient relationship. When doctors madedecisions for patients—as many still do—they didn'tneed to communicate risk. The doctor would decide on a treatmentand then help the patient feel good about it, perhaps—with. . . [Full text of this article]

Richard Smith, editor

(rsmith@bmj.com)

CiteULike

Complore

Connotea

Del.icio.us Add to Digg

Digg

StumbleUpon Add to Technorati

Technorati What's this?

Relevant Articles

Understanding sensitivity and specificity with the right side of the brain: Tze-Wey Loong
BMJ 2003 327: 716-719. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Communication and miscommunication of risk: understanding UK parents' attitudes to combined MMR vaccination: Paul Bellaby
BMJ 2003 327: 725-728. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

How can doctors communicate information about risk more effectively?: Andy Alaszewski and Tom Horlick-Jones
BMJ 2003 327: 728-731. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Risk communication in practice: the contribution of decision aids: Annette M O'Connor, France Légaré, and Dawn Stacey
BMJ 2003 327: 736-740. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Simple tools for understanding risks: from innumeracy to insight: Gerd Gigerenzer and Adrian Edwards
BMJ 2003 327: 741-744. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

How not to motivate in risk communication: Jim Malloy
bmj.com, 26 Sep 2003 [Full text]
Trust and communication: David F Danson, et al.
bmj.com, 26 Sep 2003 [Full text]
Oncological Terrain and other Biophysical-Semeiotics Constitutions, theme issue for BMJ?: Sergio Stagnaro
bmj.com, 26 Sep 2003 [Full text]
Communicating risk: Christopher Buttery
bmj.com, 26 Sep 2003 [Full text]
communicating risk is a risky business.: manan vasenwala
bmj.com, 26 Sep 2003 [Full text]
Communicating Risk: David L Bisset
bmj.com, 26 Sep 2003 [Full text]
Establishing good rapport &empathising with the patient will improve doctor-patient relationship.: A.K. Al-Sheikhli
bmj.com, 26 Sep 2003 [Full text]
Doctors: Are you Emotionally Intelligent?: Anil Pandit
bmj.com, 28 Sep 2003 [Full text]
Communication, Choice and Responsibility: Marcy Koltun-Crilley
bmj.com, 28 Sep 2003 [Full text]
Risk and lay epidemiology: Gordon Pledger
bmj.com, 30 Sep 2003 [Full text]
The Risks of Critical Illness: Stephen J Gordon
bmj.com, 30 Sep 2003 [Full text]
Re: communicating risk is a risky business.: Samantha McCormick
bmj.com, 30 Sep 2003 [Full text]
do as I say......: john main
bmj.com, 1 Oct 2003 [Full text]
One in a thousand?: Craig Skinner
bmj.com, 2 Oct 2003 [Full text]
The risks of demystifying risk: Andrew L Ashford
bmj.com, 3 Oct 2003 [Full text]