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Communicating probability in clinical reports: Nurses' numerical associations to verbal expressions
Author(s) -
Damrosch Shirley Petchel,
Soeken Karen
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
research in nursing and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1098-240X
pISSN - 0160-6891
DOI - 10.1002/nur.4770060208
Subject(s) - meaning (existential) , risk communication , psychology , test (biology) , nonverbal communication , clinical psychology , medicine , communication , environmental health , paleontology , psychotherapist , biology
Verbal estimates of probability (such as likely or certain) commonly used in laboratory, radiological, and clinical reports may be a barrier to effective communication between health care professionals. In this study the investigators sought to determine whether a consensus of numerical meaning existed in a sample of nurses for each of 30 widely used verbal expressions of probability. Seventy female nurses enrolled in a graduate course were surveyed by means of a test‐retest procedure using a questionnaire designed to elicit assignments of numerical probability (0% to 100%). The results showed wide inconsistency both between subjects and within subjects.