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University of Colorado Researcher Encourages Better Communication
DENVER (Dec. 14, 2005) — A commentary by University of Colorado School of Medicine Professor John F. Steiner, MD, MPH, that appears in today's issue of the Journal of American Medical Association highlights communication gaps between the medical research community and the public.
Steiner said psychological research suggests that people place more emphasis on stories about individuals than on statistical information about groups in making decisions, and do not consider sufficiently whether those stories are representative of the experiences of others.
This approach can pose a problem for health care researchers who are trying to gain new knowledge about groups, as well as for policy-makers who need to make decisions about what is in the best interest of groups, since their findings or decisions could be unduly influenced by stories that are not representative, Steiner said.
"Researchers design their studies to guard against this problem by extensively cross-checking the information they receive from research subjects," he added. "Policy-makers often guard against this by soliciting competing testimonials, similar to legal proceedings or media reports."
When researchers try to translate research findings into policy or practice, they typically use only statistical information to do so. They are then often surprised and frustrated that their audiences do not place enough importance on the statistics and seem to be swayed by compelling testimonials, even if those testimonials conflict with scientific evidence.
Steiner suggests that to do a better job of translating research into practice, researchers should develop ways to collect stories that are representative of their findings, and use these stories in communications with policy-makers, clinicians, and the public. In turn, he advises the public, news media and elected officials to demand that anecdotal evidence be adequately backed up with scientific research.
University of Colorado School of Medicine faculty work to advance science and improve care as the physicians, educators and scientists at University of Colorado Hospital, The Children's Hospital, Denver Health Medical Center, National Jewish Medical and Research Center and the Veterans Administration Medical Center. The school is part of the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, one of three campuses in the University of Colorado system. For more information, visit the Web site at www.uchsc.edu/sm.