Short answer

When designing health-related materials, focus on making quantitative information accessible and understandable by considering both the user's abilities and the inherent design of the information presentation.

Field: User-Centred Design
Source: Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (2007)
Method: Literature Review
Evidence: Strong effect

Effective health communication requires not only individual health numeracy skills but also well-designed information artifacts and skilled provider communication. This user-centred design research insight is drawn from a 2007 study published in Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. Using Literature review, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: When designing health-related materials, focus on making quantitative information accessible and understandable by considering both the user's abilities and the inherent design of the information presentation.

Study

User-Centred DesignHigh ImpactStrong effect

Health Information Design: Bridging the Gap Between Quantitative Data and Patient Understanding

Effective health communication requires not only individual health numeracy skills but also well-designed information artifacts and skilled provider communication.

Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association · 2007

Key Findings

01Health numeracy encompasses basic computation, understanding of non-text formats (like graphs), and oral communication skills.
02The design of health information documents and artifacts significantly influences comprehension.
03Healthcare providers' communication skills are crucial for effective information transfer.

Application

Design takeaway

How to apply

When developing patient education materials, use clear, concise language, employ intuitive visual aids like simple graphs, and ensure that numerical data is presented in a context that aids understanding.

Project actions

01When designing health-related products or services, consider how users with varying levels of health literacy will interact with quantitative data.
02Test your designs with target users to ensure clarity and ease of understanding.

Method & Evidence

AimHow can the design of health information artifacts and provider communication strategies be optimized to enhance patient comprehension of quantitative health data, thereby improving health outcomes?

MethodLiterature Review

ProcedureThe authors conducted a multidisciplinary literature review to synthesize existing conceptions of health numeracy and its impact on the use of quantitative health information. They identified individual skills, information design, and provider communication as key factors.

ContextHealthcare and health communication

Variables

IV["Design of health information artifacts","Healthcare provider communication skills"]

DV["Patient understanding of quantitative health information","Effective use of quantitative health information"]

CV["Individual health numeracy skills"]

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

+Provides a comprehensive overview of health numeracy from a multidisciplinary perspective.
+Identifies key contributing factors beyond individual skills.

Limitations

The effectiveness of specific design choices may vary depending on the target audience's cultural background and prior knowledge.

Reliability & validity

The reliability of the findings depends on the consistency of definitions and methodologies across the reviewed literature. Validity is supported by the multidisciplinary approach, integrating insights from various fields.

Think critically

To what extent can design alone compensate for low individual health numeracy, and where does the responsibility lie with educational or healthcare systems?

Design Principles

"Design for comprehension by integrating user skills, information artifact design, and effective communication strategies."

This research highlights that a user's ability to comprehend health information is a complex interplay of personal skills and the design of the information itself. Designers must consider how the presentation of quantitative data, such as graphs and numerical values, impacts user understanding and decision-making.

What This Means for Your Design

To help people understand health information, you need to make the information itself easy to understand (like using simple charts) and make sure doctors explain things clearly, not just rely on the person knowing a lot.

How to use in your project

1.Reference this study when discussing the importance of user research and the impact of design on information comprehension in your design project.

Add to My Project

Quick Cite

Paragraph starter

This research emphasizes that effective health communication is a shared responsibility, requiring both individual health numeracy and thoughtfully designed information artifacts. The study by Ancker and Kaufman (2007) highlights that 'essential ingredients for the productive use of quantitative health information include not only health numeracy but also good provider communication skills, as well as documents and devices that are designed to enhance comprehension and cognition.' This underscores the need for designers to create materials that are not only visually appealing but also cognitively accessible, supporting users in their understanding of complex health data.

Source

Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association

Rethinking Health Numeracy: A Multidisciplinary Literature Review

journal · 2007

View source

Questions About This Research

What does the research say about health information design: bridging the gap between quantitative data and patient understanding?: When designing health-related materials, focus on making quantitative information accessible and understandable by considering both the user's abilities and the inherent design of the information presentation. Evidence: Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (2007).
Why does "Health Information Design: Bridging the Gap Between Quantitative Data and Patient Understanding" matter for design?: This research highlights that a user's ability to comprehend health information is a complex interplay of personal skills and the design of the information itself. Designers must consider how the presentation of quantitative data, such as graphs and numerical values, impacts user understanding and decision-making.
How can designers apply this research?: When designing health-related materials, focus on making quantitative information accessible and understandable by considering both the user's abilities and the inherent design of the information presentation.
What were the main findings?: Health numeracy encompasses basic computation, understanding of non-text formats (like graphs), and oral communication skills.. The design of health information documents and artifacts significantly influences comprehension.. Healthcare providers' communication skills are crucial for effective information transfer.
What research method was used?: Literature Review.
How strong is the evidence?: Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2007 journal from Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.
What should I do differently in my next project?: When developing patient education materials, use clear, concise language, employ intuitive visual aids like simple graphs, and ensure that numerical data is presented in a context that aids understanding.
What are the limitations?: The review synthesizes existing literature and does not present new empirical data. The definition of health numeracy may vary across different contexts.