The Art of Informing: How Information and Communication Technologies can Empower the Decision Maker

摘要

If information and communication technologies (ICTs) are to be a viable method of providing useful health information, ease of information access will not be enough: the information provided through these channels must also be easy to understand In this last respect, informing consumers about screening tests presents particular challenges, since complete information about these tests includes the difficult concepts of test sensitivity, test specificity, and predictive value. The understanding of this type of complex statistical information is influenced by cognitive heuristics that can lead to biases and errors in understanding. La particular, unless supported by optimal information presentation, experts and novices alike tend to overestimate the predictive value of screening tests, resulting in a more positive evaluation of screening tests than might be the case if estimates of predictive value were more accurate. A study of web-based information on two screening tests, mammography and the maternal serum screening, revealed mat the information provided is not sufficient to support informed decision-making about participation in these tests. As a result, any efforts to enhance our current Web systems with more complex, interoperable metadata systems will only replicate current problems on a wider scale. Instead, information systems must consider the cognitive needs of users in information design.