BMJ  2003;327:691-692 (27 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7417.691

Editorial

Communicating risks

Means that patients too have to learn to live with uncertainty

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

The epidemic this year of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) etched another chapter into the annals of risk science. So do all the major "scares": bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and its potential effect on humans through variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease; the scare about third generation oral contraceptives in 1995; and the feared link between autism and measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination. On p 725 Bellaby discusses these particular risks and describes how public reactions that on the face of it may seem irrational in fact have understandable origins.¹ Most of this theme issue, however, is concerned not with mass communication about risks but with one to one interactions between healthcare professionals and patients about their individual risks. Clinicians want to know how best to communicate risk to their patients, and this issue aims to help.

Thus O'Connor et al (p 736) describe how decision aids may help by . . . [Full text of this article]

Primary Care Group Swansea Clinical School, University of Wales, Swansea SA2 8PP (adriangkedwards@btinternet.com)

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This article has been cited by other articles:

• Drife, J. (2007). Putting risk into context. The Obstetrician and Gynaecologist 9: 42-47 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Hvas, L., Reventlow, S., Jensen, H. L., Malterud, K. (2005). Awareness of risk of osteoporosis may cause uncertainty and worry in menopausal women. Scand J Public Health 33: 203-207 [Abstract]  
• Edwards, A (2004). Flexible rather than standardised approaches to communicating risks in health care. Qual Saf Health Care 13: 169-170 [Full text]  
• Daniels, T. W V (2003). Communicating risk: We as doctors are not alone. BMJ 327: 1403-1403 [Full text]  
• Fielding, R., Lam, W. W T (2003). Communicating risk: Doctor's recommendation is decision making in uncertain conditions. BMJ 327: 1404-1404 [Full text]  

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