Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41842982›Full record

ArticleAesthetic plastic surgery2026

Deciphering the Data: Health Numeracy and Its Impact on Decision-Making in Breast Augmentation.

Morvarid Mehdizadeh, Daniela Lee, Reinhard M Knerr, Maria J Escobar-Domingo, Jose Foppiani, James E Fanning, Amitai S Miller, Bernard T Lee

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Aesthetic plastic surgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

8 authors.

Morvarid Mehdizadeh *Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Daniela Lee *Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Reinhard M KnerrDivision of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Maria J Escobar-DomingoDivision of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Jose FoppianiDivision of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
James E FanningDivision of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Amitai S MillerDivision of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Bernard T LeeDivision of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. blee3@bidmc.harvard.edu.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeNumeracy, the ability to understand numerical concepts, is a key component of health literacy. This study examines rates of innumeracy and its association with demographics to inform patient education strategies in plastic surgery.

methodsA survey was distributed via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Participants rated the perceived safety of breast augmentation using a 5-point Likert scale based on fictional statistics presented as percentages, fractions, pie charts, and pictograms. They then assessed and rated their willingness to consider breast augmentation using a novel implant option compared to a traditional implant using odds ratios, absolute risk, and risk ratios.

resultsAmong 578 participants (median age: 32 years), surgical safety perception varied significantly by data presentation. Positively framed statistics (e.g., "97% success rate") received higher ratings on 5-point Likert scale (mean: 3.9, SD: 0.7) than negatively framed data (e.g., "3% complication rate"; mean: 3.6, SD: 1.0). Visual formats such as pie charts (mean: 3.9, SD: 0.8) and pictograms (mean: 3.7, SD: 0.9) led to higher safety ratings than numerical representations. Only 26% of participants rated the same complication rate consistently across all formats, and just 5.4% correctly identified the safest implant. Higher income (> $100,000; p < 0.001) and postgraduate education (p = 0.037) were associated with improved numeracy. Bar graphs were the most misinterpreted format for odds ratios, with only 42.4% providing correct responses.

conclusionCurrent healthcare data presentation may lead to misinterpretation. Plastic surgeons should address patient innumeracy in consultations and education. Optimizing numeracy strategies can improve patient understanding and decision-making. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE V: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Indexed as

Breast ImplantationDecision MakingHealth LiteracyMammaplastyPatient Education as TopicAdultCohort StudiesComprehensionFemaleHumansMiddle AgedRisk AssessmentSurveys and QuestionnairesYoung AdultBreast augmentationHealth literacyHealth numeracyPatient comprehensionPatient educationRisk communication

Identifiers

PMID41842982

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.