Explaining all without causing unnecessary harm: Is there scope for positively framing medical risk information?

TY - JOUR

T1 - Explaining all without causing unnecessary harm: Is there scope for positively framing medical risk information?

AU - Webster, R. K.

AU - Weinman, J.

AU - Rubin, G. J

PY - 2019/3/13

Y1 - 2019/3/13

N2 - Clinicians in the United Kingdom are now legally obliged to tell patients about every risk involved in prescribed medical treatments. Although important for informed consent, warning patients of risks such as side-effects can increase the incidence of these very side-effects, through the nocebo effect. Positively framing risk information could be a potential solution to this dilemma, and preliminary data has shown it is effective in healthy volunteers receiving a sham drug. Future research is needed to test its effectiveness in a clinical population.

AB - Clinicians in the United Kingdom are now legally obliged to tell patients about every risk involved in prescribed medical treatments. Although important for informed consent, warning patients of risks such as side-effects can increase the incidence of these very side-effects, through the nocebo effect. Positively framing risk information could be a potential solution to this dilemma, and preliminary data has shown it is effective in healthy volunteers receiving a sham drug. Future research is needed to test its effectiveness in a clinical population.

KW - Nocebo effects

KW - Positive framing

KW - Risk communication

KW - Side-Effects

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85053657265&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.pec.2018.09.014

DO - 10.1016/j.pec.2018.09.014

M3 - Comment/debate

SN - 0738-3991

VL - 102

SP - 602

EP - 603

JO - Patient Education and Counseling

JF - Patient Education and Counseling

IS - 3

ER -