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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Risk communication in dementia care
— professional perspectives on consequences, likelihood, words and numbers | | Author(s) | Mabel Stevenson, Brian J Taylor |
| Journal title | British Journal of Social Work, vol 47, no 7, October 2017 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press, October 2017 |
| Pages | pp 1940-1958 |
| Source | https://academic.oup.com/bjsw |
| Keywords | Dementia ; At risk ; Community care ; Communication ; Attitude ; Social workers ; Medical workers ; Qualitative Studies ; Northern Ireland. |
| Annotation | Communicating effectively about risk is fundamental to professionals addressing critical issues with clients and families, and to informed decision making. Using a grounded theory approach, this qualitative study explored how risk is conceptualised and communicated in dementia care. Data were gathered from 35 health and social care professionals in focus groups each representing the five Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland; concepts and perspectives on verbal, numeric and visual forms of communicating risk were covered. Risks were primarily conceptualised as consequences (positive and negative) rather than as likelihood, and related to a wide range of domains. Perceptions were influenced by socio-cultural factors including risk assessment mechanisms and wider discourse relating to positive risk taking. The language of probability was used in a non-quantified, subjective manner. While professionals routinely received quantitative information, they did not typically communicate using numerical expressions. Verbal expressions of likelihood were widely preferred to numerical. When risks were presented in numerical formats, frequency presentation was seen as more comprehensible than percentages. Several participants saw potential in visual forms of risk communication. Bar charts were generally favoured over icon arrays as more easily understood. Good practice examples for risk communication were identified. This study provides pointers towards further research to support optimal risk communication in the complex domain of community care. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-180105212 A |
| Classmark | EA: CA3: PA: U: DP: QR: QT: 3DP: 9Y |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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