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”.

“Surgeons need to recognise that the language they use to communicate impacts people’s understanding and downstream can actually impact their decision making,” said Dr Joshua Rosen of the Surgical Outcomes Research Center at the University of Washington, in Seattle, US.

The survey of 296 adults (54% men) gave one of three descriptions of the risk of deep space infection after appendicitis surgery.