Journal article
Effect of Harm Anchors in Visual Displays of Test Results on Patient Perceptions of Urgency About Near-Normal Values: Experimental Study
Journal of medical Internet research, Vol.20(3), pp.e98-e98
03/26/2018
DOI: 10.2196/jmir.8889
PMCID: PMC5891666
PMID: 29581088
Abstract
Patient-facing displays of laboratory test results typically provide patients with one reference point (the "standard range").
To test the effect of including an additional harm anchor reference point in visual displays of laboratory test results, which indicates how far outside of the standard range values would need to be in order to suggest substantial patient risk.
Using a demographically diverse, online sample, we compared the reactions of 1618 adults in the United States who viewed visual line displays that included both standard range and harm anchor reference points ("Many doctors are not concerned until here") to displays that included either (1) only a standard range, (2) standard range plus evaluative categories (eg, "borderline high"), or (3) a color gradient showing degree of deviation from the standard range.
Providing the harm anchor reference point significantly reduced perceived urgency of close-to-normal alanine aminotransferase and creatinine results (P values <.001) but not generally for platelet count results. Notably, display type did not significantly alter perceptions of more extreme results in potentially harmful ranges. Harm anchors also substantially reduced the number of participants who wanted to contact their doctor urgently or go to the hospital about these test results.
Presenting patients with evaluative cues regarding when test results become clinically concerning can reduce the perceived urgency of out-of-range results that do not require immediate clinical action.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Effect of Harm Anchors in Visual Displays of Test Results on Patient Perceptions of Urgency About Near-Normal Values: Experimental Study
- Creators
- Brian J Zikmund-Fisher - Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesAaron M Scherer - Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United StatesHolly O Witteman - Laval University Research Institute for Primary Care and Health Services, Quebec City, QC, CanadaJacob B Solomon - Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesNicole L Exe - Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesAngela Fagerlin - Salt Lake City Veterans Affairs Center for Informatics Decision Enhancement and Surveillance, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of medical Internet research, Vol.20(3), pp.e98-e98
- DOI
- 10.2196/jmir.8889
- PMID
- 29581088
- PMCID
- PMC5891666
- NLM abbreviation
- J Med Internet Res
- ISSN
- 1438-8871
- eISSN
- 1438-8871
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 03/26/2018
- Academic Unit
- General Internal Medicine; Internal Medicine
- Record Identifier
- 9984094390502771
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