In the first article in this series we looked at the dimension of risk. Expression of risk in terms of an unwanted outcome or event can be described with descriptions or distinctions based on both its quality or on its quantity. The probability can be described in qualitative terms such as rare or infrequent or expressed quantitatively such as 1 in 1000. What is important to acknowledge that patients differ in what they like.

Read full article

In 1980 Richard Peto explained to ordinary people the quantitative dangers of smoking:

“Among an average 1000 young men who smoke cigarettes regularly – about one will be murdered, about six will be killed on the roads, and about 250 will be killed before their time by tobacco.”

Read full article

It is often hard to figure out the findings of health research because of jargon and the numbers. However, I reckon most of that research can be understood by anybody with 4 simple concepts. I am going to cover one of these concepts each day using stories from this week’s press relating to health to show how often these numbers appear in the press. Hopefully these 4 keys will allow more people to open the door and to question the numbers we read about in health research.

LESSON 1: CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE IS ALL ABOUT RISK

Read full article