Numeracy and Communication with Patients: They Are Counting on Us

Patient-centered interactive communication between physicians and patients is recommended to improve the quality of medical care. Numerical concepts are important components of such exchanges and include arithmetic and use of percentages, as well as higher level tasks like estimation, probability, p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of general internal medicine : JGIM 2008-12, Vol.23 (12), p.2117-2124
Main Authors: Apter, Andrea J., Paasche-Orlow, Michael K., Remillard, Janine T., Bennett, Ian M., Ben-Joseph, Elana Pearl, Batista, Rosanna M., Hyde, James, Rudd, Rima E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Communication
Educational Status
General aspects
Humans
Internal Medicine
Interpersonal communication
Mathematics
Medical sciences
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Miscellaneous
Patient Education as Topic - methods
Patient Education as Topic - standards
Patient-Centered Care - methods
Patient-Centered Care - standards
Perspectives
Physician patient relationships
Physician-Patient Relations
Preventive medicine
Primary care
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
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Summary:Patient-centered interactive communication between physicians and patients is recommended to improve the quality of medical care. Numerical concepts are important components of such exchanges and include arithmetic and use of percentages, as well as higher level tasks like estimation, probability, problem-solving, and risk assessment - the basis of preventive medicine. Difficulty with numerical concepts may impede communication. The current evidence on prevalence, measurement, and outcomes related to numeracy is presented, along with a summary of best practices for communication of numerical information. This information is integrated into a hierarchical model of mathematical concepts and skills, which can guide clinicians toward numerical communication that is easier to use with patients.
ISSN:0884-8734
1525-1497
DOI:10.1007/s11606-008-0803-x