Thinking about Numeracy
When crafting patient-facing materials, focusing on health literacy best practices such as plain language, intuitive design, cultural awareness, and usability testing are expected. Numeracy and the clear presentation of numeric data demand additional attention.
In clinical research, understanding risk, percentages, probabilities, and other numerical concepts undergirds participant choice, voluntariness, and autonomy. While some studies might offer the possibility of benefit, no study guarantees success, and risks are always present. Participants are asked to comprehend ideas like risk assessment, risk-benefit ratios, and randomization. Numeracy also underlies interpreting dosages, medication instructions, schedules, and study calendars. As with health literacy, numeracy skills are generally low in the US and globally. Knowing this, communicators are responsible for helping patients, participants, and caregivers comprehend and apply the numeric data shared with them.
Barbara Bierer, MD, and Sylvia Baedorf Kassis, MPH, explored this topic in their June 2023 Frontiers in Communication publication entitled, “Communicating complex numeric information in clinical research” and suggested several steps for communicators to consider when explaining and visualizing numeric information:
- What numeric information do you need to present and explain?
- Determine the intent – How should the information be used? Is it informational? Helpful for decision-making?
- Know the audience – Is there anything about this audience that should be considered?
- Understand the context – In what setting will the information be presented? Will the person be stressed, receptive, supported, or alone in a new environment?
- Develop presentation options – What are some ways to present the info? Which are most clear?
- Review for biases – Could the information be misunderstood or be inappropriately influential?
- Consider accessibility – Can the information be accessed and used by people with different abilities?
- Conduct usability testing – Is the information understood as intended?
Data Literacy: Leveraging PHUSE Videos to Advance Understanding
Participants’ understanding of how their data are collected and used in research is important for empowering value-concordant decision-making. The MRCT Center is actively focused on developing educational materials for the public on the significance of data in clinical trials, to complement the exemplary PHUSE Global Healthcare Data Science Community video series on data privacy and data-sharing. This work expands our ongoing commitment to improve health literacy. We welcome additional collaborators to the data literacy initiative.
Health Literacy On-Demand Webinar: Amplifying Participant Voices: Crafting Respectful, Inclusive, and Understandable Patient Materials
Learn how to incorporate patient perspectives in crafting participant-facing materials that are accessible, culturally competent, and easy to understand.
Click here to view the webinar resources, including the recording, slides, and related materials.