"You'll be Fine. Probably." Communicating Risk in Clinical Medicine

The authors investigate the challenges of effectively communicating risk in clinical medicine, aiming to understand how barriers such as linguistic ambiguities, numeracy issues, and emotional influences can lead to misinterpretation of risk information by patients. They propose a multifaceted approach to risk communication, including the use of descriptive terms, numerical data, and visual aids, while emphasizing the importance of tailoring discussions to individual patient understanding and values. The paper introduces the RISKS framework to enhance clinician-patient communication about risk.