Alistair Thorpe

Evidence-based Tips for Communicating Medical Numbers 1. Use numbers to convey risk 2. Keep denominators constant & round 3. Use absolute values to articulate change 4. Employ “part-to-whole” visuals 5. Provide context & comparators

I like to jokingly say "numbers are hard" when I make a mental math error.

But in all seriousness, it can be difficult for many to grasp numerical information, especially when it lacks rich context.

#SciComm #MedicalCommunications

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SMDM 48th Annual Meeting at University of Oslo announces Call for Abstracts, Symposia, and Short Courses. Learn more here: smdm.org/meeting/48th...

#AnnualMeeting #MedicalDecisionMaking #Oslo #SMDM

How to Communicate Medical Numbers This JAMA Insights provides evidence-based recommendations for communicating numerical information to patients.

Presenting numbers using evidence-based strategies may support patient understanding and engagement in care. Nice work @bzikmund.bsky.social @angiefagerlin.bsky.social @athorpe8.bsky.social jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

How to Communicate Medical Numbers-a @jama.com Insight from @angiefagerlin.bsky.social @athorpe8.bsky.social @uuhsresearch.bsky.social, @bzikmund.bsky.social @umich.edu

Read and listen to the podcast for useful tips and tools that could improve patient health+lives. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

I couldn’t be prouder to have worked on this JAMA Insights article with @angiefagerlin.bsky.social and @bzikmund.bsky.social—five key strategies for communicating medical numbers clearly and meaningfully, so patients can make informed decisions!

How to Report Research on the Communication of Health-Related Numbers: The Research on Communicating Numbers (ReCoN) Guidelines - Natalie C. Benda, Brian J. Zikmund-Fisher, Jessica S. Ancker, 2025 Background Research with lay audiences (e.g., patients, the public) can inform the communication of health-related numerical information. However, a recent syst...

How to Report Research on the Communication of Health-Related Numbers: The Research on Communicating Numbers (ReCoN) Guidelines
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
@smdm.bsky.social @bzikmund.bsky.social @sydneyhealthliteracylab.org.au

SMDMers in the News - What Have You Been Working On? Survey Web survey powered by SurveyMonkey.com. Create your own online survey now with SurveyMonkey's expert certified FREE templates.

SMDM Members! Share your news about a new appointment, a project you are working on, or other activities to peak interest among members and identify potential collaborators. 💡 www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZVD53JJ

#SMDM

Our new research shows that explaining the nature of illness and providing point-of-care test results to patients might be just quite useful tools to calibrate their antibiotic expectations (changing threshold but also discernment)... #antibiotic @abc-network.bsky.social @essexuni.bsky.social

I had an interesting 2nd day at #ICBM2025 in Vienna today. In our session, I presented our work on communicating about #AMR and pudent antibiotic use when new antibiotics are developed.
Please visit @abc-network.bsky.social if you are interested in the emerging field of behavioral research and AMR.

Lucy Bronze on how she decided to blast her penalty down the middle (and score).

“Statistically it’s risky for the goal keeper to stand still… so yeah, I love maths”.

@smdm.bsky.social Alistair Thorpe shares Digital Communication updates. He and his cmte have excellent insights on improving our social media presence. If you’re an SMDM member and fancy yourself as an influencer(!) connect with Alistair.

@smdm.bsky.social
Welcome to the Big House!

How awesome is this?!

JAMA Network Open @jamanetworkopen.com - an open access journal in the JAMA Network - is now on BlueSky!

#MedSky

Attending #SMDM25? Take your experience to the next level by adding a Short Course to your meeting registration! Dive deeper into key topics and sharpen your skills with expert-led sessions.

🔗 Register now: crm.smdm.org/civicrm/even...

#MedicalDecisionMaking #ProfessionalDevelopment #SMDM

Feeling quite refreshed after another awesome Nebraska Antimicrobial Stewardship Summit today! Always impressed by the speakers and enjoy the networking across the state at this annual event. Was great meeting @athorpe8.bsky.social @helennewland.bsky.social and many others! #IDSky #AMSky

@evakrockow.bsky.social kick-starting the workshop on Behavioral insights and AMR with her talk about AMR risk communication... we need to communicate about AMR better.

🎧 New #SHEAPodcast! Dr. Jonathan Ryder & Dr. Milner Staub explore outpatient stewardship: penicillin allergy delabeling & reducing antibiotic overuse in bronchitis.

Listen now👇
iTunes: apple.co/4dlk9e7
SoundCloud: bit.ly/4jSGemJ
Spotify: spoti.fi/4jXVv5W

Looking forward to sharing our work at #SMDM25 - teasers below! 🌟

· Using medical decision making research to support antibiotic allergy delabeling (Talk) 🦠🪪

· A decision aid and values clarification RCT for supporting parents of a fetus with a life-threatening heart defect (Poster) ♥️ 👨‍👩‍👧

Had a fantastic time at UAB giving the Infectious Diseases Grand Rounds last week. Great discussions on improving abx use, awesome food, and a UAB ID beer release!

Special thanks to @doctorrachael.bsky.social @tmccarty2010.bsky.social & Becky Anderson for the invite and hospitality

#AMR #IDsky

Are you passionate about health care decision making? Join the Society for Medical Decision Making (SMDM) and connect with a global network of experts driving innovation in medical decision science! 🧠

Learn more and become a member today 👉 loom.ly/jRkLGQ8

#SMDM

I had such an amazing time, thank you all very much for having me and the great conversations about improving abx use!

Disclaimer: they are not joking when they say they feed you!! 😅

Joined today to promote our paper! Proud to be a part of this team. @athorpe8.bsky.social @angiefagerlin.bsky.social @valerievaughnmd.bsky.social

@espivak.bsky.social

Thanks Jonathan! We should have a few more papers on the way… stay tuned!

Interesting implications for tailoring messaging and education to patients with frequent abx exposure.

Thanks to my amazing collaborators Rachael Lee, @angiefagerlin.bsky.social, @valerievaughnmd.bsky.social, and Julie Szymczak!

#AMS #AMR
@uofuphs.bsky.social @uuhsresearch.bsky.social @jama.com

Characteristics and Antibiotic Preferences by Frequency of Antibiotic Use This survey study compares demographic characteristics, beliefs, and antibiotic preferences of US adults who frequently use antibiotics with those who have not used antibiotics over the past year.

Super excited to share key findings from our study in JAMA NO!

Freq abx users (≥3 in 12mo) more likely to report:
-wanting abx for an URI 💊
-Needing help w/health-related materials 📖
-Medical maximizing (prefer to act vs watch/wait) 🚀
-Disbelief in science 🚫🔬

💻: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Special Collection: "The Making Numbers Meaningful Systematic Review" - MDM Policy & Practice

The Making Numbers Meaningful Systematic Review papers are now available! Review of 316 papers on communicating health-related probabilities to the public. 1,119 findings. Methods / scoping paper, 6 evidence summary papers, 5 editorials. All open access.
journals.sagepub.com/topic/collec...

Emphasizing the importance of prudent antibiotic use decreases unrealistic perceptions of new antibiotic discoveries AbstractBackground. The 2024 discovery of a new class of antibiotics is cause for cautious celebration. However, media coverage of this discovery shows ove

Exciting work from ABC Network members: news about new antibiotics shapes public views on #AMR - who knew!
@riangross.bsky.social @elisie.bsky.social @mariejuanchich.bsky.social @miroslavsirota.bsky.social @corneliabetsch.bsky.social @robertboehm.bsky.social

academic.oup.com/jacamr/artic...

Survey of US adults <65 yo comparing abx non-users to frequent users (>3x/year) in @jama.com Open

Frequent abx users more likely to distrust science, want abx for viral URIs, need health literacy support, be medical maximizers, and had more comorbidities

#IDSky

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Good to hear from you Yasmina! Hope you are keeping well 🙂