Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27913558›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2016

Providing additional information about the benefits of statins in a leaflet for patients with coronary heart disease: a qualitative study of the impact on attitudes and beliefs.

Rebecca Dickinson, David K Raynor, Peter Knapp, Jan MacDonald

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 21% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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  3. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Rebecca DickinsonSchool of Healthcare, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
David K RaynorSchool of Healthcare, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Peter KnappDepartment of Health Sciences and The Hull York Medical School, University of York, York, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-5904-8699
Jan MacDonaldMedicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, London, UK.
University of Leeds · GBUniversity of York · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo explore the impact of providing additional information about the potential benefits of simvastatin in a patient leaflet on attitudes and beliefs.

designInterview-based study using a generic qualitative approach and framework analysis.

participants21 participants receiving a prescription for simvastatin were recruited from a general practitioner practice (from a total of 120). 8 participants were women; the age range was 55-92.

interventionParticipants were provided with leaflets showing one of 3 types of additional benefit information: (1) textual statement, (2) number needed to treat (NNT) or (3) natural frequency. Semistructured interviews explored patient's attitudes and beliefs.

resultsA descriptive narrative of preferences for format suggested patients prefer textual as opposed to numerical benefit information. Significant barriers to the acceptance of numerical benefit information included difficulty in understanding the numbers. Patients overestimated the benefits of statins and expressed surprise at the numerical information.

conclusionsTextual information was preferred but numerical information, in particular in the form of a natural frequency, may help patients make judgements about their medicines. NNTs were found to be very difficult to understand. This raises the prospect that some patients might reject medicines because of disappointment with the perceived low benefits of their medicines. The self-reported impact on behaviour appeared minimal with reports of intentions to 'do what the doctor tells me'. Further research is needed to explore the impact of such statements on people who are yet to be prescribed a statin.

Indexed as

Health Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticePamphletsPatient Education as TopicAgedAged, 80 and overCoronary DiseaseFemaleHumansHydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase InhibitorsInterviews as TopicMaleMiddle AgedQualitative ResearchSelf ReportSimvastatinUnited KingdomHydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase InhibitorsSimvastatinmedicines informationpatient informationrisk benefit communicationrisk format

Identifiers

PMID27913558
PMCPMC5168685
OpenAlexW2553545824

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.