Fact box

A fact box is a simplified display format that presents evidence based data about the benefits and harms of medical treatments, screenings or interventions.[1]

The format has been shown to improve people’s understanding of health-related risk information.[2][3] Benefits and harms are displayed in absolute numbers in a table, which allows the user to compare outcomes for people who received a particular treatment or intervention with outcomes for people who did not receive this treatment (or who received a placebo, e.g., a sugar pill). Fact boxes do not use statistics that might be misleading to the reader,[4] such as relative risks, mismatched framing[5] and five-year survival rates for screening. In addition, an explanation of medical terms and procedures is provided. Fact boxes can be used for discussing treatment alternatives with a physician. Moreover, additional information sources can be provided by using digital media to visually present the information contained in fact boxes.[6]

  1. ^ McDowell, M., Rebitschek, F. G., Gigerenzer, G., & Wegwarth, O. (2016). A simple tool for communicating the benefits and harms of health interventions: A guide for creating a fact box. Medical Decision Making Policy & Practice, 1:2381468316665365. doi:10.1177/2381468316665365
  2. ^ Schwartz, L.M., Woloshin, S., & Welch, H.G. (2009). Using a drug facts box to communicate drug benefits and harms: two randomized trials. Annals of Internal Medicine, 150(8), 516–527 doi:10.7326/0003-4819-150-8-200904210-00106
  3. ^ McDowell, M.E., Gigerenzer, G., Wegwarth, O., & Rebitschek, F.G. (2019). Effect of tabular and icon fact box formats on comprehension of benefits and harms of prostate cancer screening: A randomized trial. Medical Decision Making, 39, 41-56 doi:10.1177/0272989X18818166
  4. ^ Gigerenzer, G., Wegwarth, O., & Feufel, M. (2010). Misleading communication of risk. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 341:c4830 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.c4830
  5. ^ Schwartz, L., Woloshin, S., Dvorin, E., & Welch, H. (2006). Ratio measures in leading medical journals: Structured review of accessibility of underlying absolute risks. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 333(7581), 1248-1250 doi:10.1136/bmj.38985.564317.7C
  6. ^ Gigerenzer, G., & Kolpatzik, K. (2017). How new fact boxes are explaining medical risk to millions. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 357:j2460. doi:10.1136/bmj.j2460