What is my risk, doctor? How to convey disease risk and treatment effects

What you need to knowRelative effects of treatments are often described in patient encounters, scientific journals, and mass media, although used alone to guide decision making they are insufficient and potentially misleadingAbsolute treatment effects together with the absolute risk of disease one wants to prevent or treat are more informative and should be used insteadDiscussions about action thresholds for absolute disease risk and absolute treatment effects are important in patient encounters and elsewhere in the healthcare systemMs Olsen is a 65 year old woman with hypercholesterolaemia and hypertension. Her doctor tells her that she can reduce her risk of getting a major cardiovascular event by up to 50% if she takes a statin. “That’s great,” she thinks, “50% reduction is a lot!” She feels happy and well informed and plans to take the statin.After she comes home, she remembers her recent conversation with a car dealer (she really needed a…
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