Quick Tips for Risk Communication
Risk communication is a complex process that is essential for effective risk assessment. This fact sheet is a quick reference on risk communication tips, with links for more detailed information on risk communication.
It is common for people to misunderstand discussions of risk. Many individuals (including healthcare providers) have a limited understanding of ratios, percentages, population risks, and relative risks. These misunderstandings are common in discussions about both Mendelian and complex disorders. Providers need the communication skills to reinforce correct risk perceptions and educate about erroneous ones.
Tips for communicating risk:
- Use the term "chance" instead of "risk," because "chance" connotes less of a value judgement of whether the outcome is good or bad.
- Provide the risk in different formats; for example, use both a percentage and a ratio (eg: 25% or 1 in 4).
- Consider also using natural numbers, which many people find more understandable than percentages and ratios. For example, "If there were 100 people in a room with the same chance you have, 25 of them would develop the illness."
- Give the chance for the "good" outcome as well as the "bad" outcome. For example, "While the chance is 25% for xyz to happen, there is a 75% chance that xyz won’t happen."
- Put risk in context by comparing an individual’s risk to the baseline risk. For example, "In the general population, 1 out of 11 women get breast cancer. In women with a family history like yours, on average 1 out of 8 get breast cancer."