title: Communicating quantitative risks and benefits in promotional prescription drug labeling or print advertising.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, all promotional materials for prescription drugs must strike a fair balance in presentation of risks and benefits. How to best present this information is not clear. We sought to determine if the presentation of quantitative risk and benefit information in drug advertising and labeling influences consumers', patients', and clinicians' information processing, knowledge, and behavior by assessing available empirical evidence.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used PubMed for a literature search, limiting to articles published in English from 1990 forward. Two reviewers independently reviewed the titles and abstracts for inclusion, after which we reviewed the full texts to determine if they communicated risk/benefit information either: (i) numerically (e.g., percent) versus non-numerically (e.g., using text such as "increased risk") or (ii) numerically using different formats (e.g., "25% of patients", "one in four patients", or use of pictographs). We abstracted information from included articles into standardized evidence tables. The research team identified a total of 674 relevant publications, of which 52 met our inclusion criteria. Of these, 37 focused on drugs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Presenting numeric information appears to improve understanding of risks and benefits relative to non-numeric presentation; presenting both numeric and non-numeric information when possible may be best practice. No single specific format or graphical approach emerged as consistently superior. Numeracy and health literacy also deserve more empirical attention as moderators.
authors: RTI International, NC, USA. swest@rti.org
authors: Suzanne L
authors: SL
authors: West
authors: Linda B
authors: LB
authors: Squiers
authors: Lauren
authors: L
authors: McCormack
authors: Brian G
authors: BG
authors: Southwell
authors: Emily S
authors: ES
authors: Brouwer
authors: Mahima
authors: M
authors: Ashok
authors: Linda
authors: L
authors: Lux
authors: Vanessa
authors: V
authors: Boudewyns
authors: Amie
authors: A
authors: O'Donoghue
authors: Helen W
authors: HW
authors: Sullivan
mesh_terms: D000329:Advertising / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003142:Communication; D004348:Drug Labeling / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D057220:Health Literacy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007880:Legislation, Drug; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055553:Prescription Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012306:Risk; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D055553:Prescription Drugs