BMJ  2003;327:728-731 (27 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7417.728

Education and debate

How can doctors communicate information about risk more effectively?

¹ Centre for Health Studies, George Allen Wing, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NF, ² School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, Glamorgan Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3WT

Effective communication of risk can improve both individual and national health, and there has been substantial investment in such communication. Has this yielded the anticipated improvements in health?

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

In recent years risk has become a mature cross disciplinary topic of study, and during this time social science research into risk has experienced a rapid growth. Despite the existence of much relevant social science knowledge about risk, the extent to which such knowledge has been applied in the health field has been perhaps surprisingly limited. In 2001-2, two UK research councils (the Economic and Social Research Council and Medical Research Council) commissioned us to examine the potential for applying social science knowledge about risk to practical medical and health issues. We have used our findings to tackle the thorny issue of physician-patient communication about health risks.

Although there has been a substantial growth in the knowledge about the risk factors associated with ill health, the full benefits of such knowledge can be gained only if the experts such as doctors can communicate this knowledge effectively and patients are willing . . . [Full text of this article]

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