This is how you should communicate surgical risk

A study of surgical patients reveals using percentages is more effective than words like 'sometimes'
Reuters Health

The way surgeons communicate risk, such as using percentages or phrases like “uncommon”, has a direct impact on how patients perceive the risk of a procedure, according to a new US study.

It shows that using percentages, or a range of percentages, is more effective than using qualitative terms such as “uncommon” or “sometimes”.