{"id":531,"date":"2019-01-25T15:18:21","date_gmt":"2019-01-25T20:18:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.mrctcenter.org\/health-literacy\/?page_id=531"},"modified":"2023-11-30T16:44:36","modified_gmt":"2023-11-30T16:44:36","slug":"numeracy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dev.mrctcenter.org\/health-literacy\/tools\/overview\/numeracy\/","title":{"rendered":"Numeracy"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h1>Many people have trouble using and understanding numbers.<\/h1>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1745 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/dev.mrctcenter.org\/health-literacy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/10\/best-practice-resources-numeracy-1-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dev.mrctcenter.org\/health-literacy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/10\/best-practice-resources-numeracy-1-2.jpg 800w, https:\/\/dev.mrctcenter.org\/health-literacy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/10\/best-practice-resources-numeracy-1-2-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/dev.mrctcenter.org\/health-literacy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/10\/best-practice-resources-numeracy-1-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/dev.mrctcenter.org\/health-literacy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/10\/best-practice-resources-numeracy-1-2-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dev.mrctcenter.org\/health-literacy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/10\/best-practice-resources-numeracy-1-2-250x250.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/>Numeracy is the ability to use math and number concepts in everyday life (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC2767457\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rothman et al 2008<\/a>) \u2013 such as when following a recipe or figuring out how many minutes until the next train.<\/p>\n<p>In the context of healthcare, numeracy skills help for such tasks as managing diet and nutrition, measuring medicine doses, and following a medicine schedule. Numeric concepts should be expressed in their simplest form to minimize confusion.<\/p>\n<p>In this section are tips, as well as examples, of how to apply numeracy strategies in the clinical research context.<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #021452;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #021452; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/dev.mrctcenter.org\/health-literacy\/tools\/overview\/numeracy\/#numeracyoverview\">Numeracy in Clinical Research Overview<\/a><\/strong><\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #021452;\"><strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #021452;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a style=\"color: #021452; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/dev.mrctcenter.org\/health-literacy\/tools\/overview\/numeracy\/#numeracyexamples\">Applying Numeracy in Clinical Research<\/a><br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #021452;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a style=\"color: #021452; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/dev.mrctcenter.org\/health-literacy\/tools\/overview\/numeracy\/#numeracyresources\">Numeracy Resources<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=&#8221;stretch_row_content&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1701362636936{background-color: #ffffff !important;}&#8221;][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1701362365268{padding-top: 10px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #efefef !important;}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">In the News: June 2023,<em> Frontiers <\/em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #021452;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #021452; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fcomm.2023.1096271\/full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Communicating Complex Numeric Information in Clinical Research<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=&#8221;stretch_row_content&#8221;][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1701362672716{padding-top: 10px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #efefef !important;}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Numeracy in Clinical Research Overview<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Numeracy in the clinical research context is a vital skill that impacts whether someone even considers participating in research.\u00a0 Potential participants must be able to understand the risks of being in the study and follow-through on the necessary study activities while they are in the study \u2013 such as managing study medication doses over time, following study instructions, and adhering to the study schedule.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tips for simplifying interpretations and visual presentations of numeric information:<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_tta_accordion style=&#8221;flat&#8221; shape=&#8221;square&#8221; c_icon=&#8221;chevron&#8221; active_section=&#8221;0&#8243; no_fill=&#8221;true&#8221; collapsible_all=&#8221;true&#8221;][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;Use familiar numbers&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;1571578803843-d84a71e6-e75b&#8221;][vc_column_text]\n<table id=\"tablepress-16\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-16\">\n<tbody>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em><b>Instead of \u2026  <\/b><\/em><br \/>\nOlder adults have a 0.1% chance of a side effect<br \/>\n<\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><em><b>Say\u2026<\/b><\/em><br \/>\nFor every 1000 people who take the study medication, 1 person might experience a side effect<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-16 from cache -->[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][\/vc_tta_accordion][vc_tta_accordion style=&#8221;flat&#8221; shape=&#8221;square&#8221; c_icon=&#8221;chevron&#8221; active_section=&#8221;0&#8243; no_fill=&#8221;true&#8221; collapsible_all=&#8221;true&#8221;][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;Use visuals to help readers interpret and apply meaning to the numbers&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;1571578803959-8856747d-eec1&#8243;][vc_column_text]\n<table id=\"tablepress-17\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-17\">\n<tbody>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em><b>Instead of (or in addition to)\u2026.<\/b><\/em><br \/>\n<br \/>\nDescribing percentages\u2026.<br \/>\n<br \/>\nFor example,52% of patients saw a decrease in tumor size, 28% saw no further growth in their tumor, and 20% saw an increase in tumor size <br \/>\n<\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><em><b>Use:<\/b><\/em><br \/>\nPie charts - show proportion and highlight size of pieces relative to the whole  <br \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Writing out comparisons\u2026<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">Bar graphs \u2013 display magnitude or comparison between group of numbers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Explaining a trend in the data\u2026<br \/>\n<br \/>\nFor example, <br \/>\nPatient recruitment has increased by 25% over the past 5 years.<br \/>\n<\/td><td class=\"column-2\"> Line graph: show trends so the direction of the numbers is evident<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-17 from cache -->[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][\/vc_tta_accordion][vc_tta_accordion style=&#8221;flat&#8221; shape=&#8221;square&#8221; c_icon=&#8221;chevron&#8221; active_section=&#8221;0&#8243; no_fill=&#8221;true&#8221; collapsible_all=&#8221;true&#8221;][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;Use the frequency of events rather than statistics&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;1571578804081-0b91cd0b-92ac&#8221;][vc_column_text]<div>Attention: The internal data of table \u201c18\u201d is corrupted!<\/div>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][\/vc_tta_accordion][vc_tta_accordion style=&#8221;flat&#8221; shape=&#8221;square&#8221; c_icon=&#8221;chevron&#8221; active_section=&#8221;0&#8243; no_fill=&#8221;true&#8221; collapsible_all=&#8221;true&#8221;][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;Keep denominators and units consistent across comparisons&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;1571578804204-05d4aaec-5f92&#8243;][vc_column_text]\n<table id=\"tablepress-19\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-19\">\n<tbody>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em><b>Instead of\u2026<\/b><\/em><br \/>\nThere is a 1 in 10 chance of nausea and a 1 in 5 chance of dizziness<\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><em><b>Say\u2026<\/b><\/em><br \/>\nThere is a 1 in 10 chance of nausea and a 2 in 10 chance of dizziness<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-19 from cache -->[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][\/vc_tta_accordion][vc_tta_accordion style=&#8221;flat&#8221; shape=&#8221;square&#8221; c_icon=&#8221;chevron&#8221; active_section=&#8221;0&#8243; no_fill=&#8221;true&#8221; collapsible_all=&#8221;true&#8221;][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;Use other types of visuals to help explain frequencies and trends&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;1571578804327-51ebd3e6-2255&#8243;][vc_column_text]<div>Attention: The internal data of table \u201c20\u201d is corrupted!<\/div>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][\/vc_tta_accordion][vc_tta_accordion style=&#8221;flat&#8221; shape=&#8221;square&#8221; c_icon=&#8221;chevron&#8221; active_section=&#8221;0&#8243; no_fill=&#8221;true&#8221; collapsible_all=&#8221;true&#8221;][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;Do the calculations in the document itself or with the person you are sharing the information with&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;1571578804452-e9496d68-32f5&#8243;][vc_column_text]\n<table id=\"tablepress-21\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-21\">\n<tbody>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em><b>Instead of\u2026<\/b><\/em><br \/>\nYou will be removed from the study if you lose 20% or more of your body weight<\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><em><b>Say...<\/b><\/em><br \/>\nYou will not be able to continue in the study if you lose 20% of your body weight.  <br \/>\n<br \/>\nFor instance, if you weigh 150 pounds, you cannot continue if you lose 30 pounds.  If you weigh 250 pounds, you cannot continue if you lose 50 pounds.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-21 from cache -->[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][\/vc_tta_accordion][vc_tta_accordion style=&#8221;flat&#8221; shape=&#8221;square&#8221; c_icon=&#8221;chevron&#8221; active_section=&#8221;0&#8243; no_fill=&#8221;true&#8221; collapsible_all=&#8221;true&#8221;][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;Use labels carefully&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;1571578804578-d22b1958-2ee1&#8243;][vc_column_text]\n<table id=\"tablepress-22\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-22\">\n<tbody>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em><strong>Instead of\u2026<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\nThe is study enrolls elderly people with diabetes.<\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><em><strong>Say\u2026<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\nThis study enrolls people with diabetes who are 65 and older.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-22 from cache -->[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][\/vc_tta_accordion][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=&#8221;stretch_row_content&#8221;][vc_column][vc_column_text el_id=&#8221;numeracyexamples&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1571578929976{padding-top: 10px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #efefef !important;}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Applying Numeracy in Clinical Research<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In clinical research, numeracy skills are important because they directly apply to whether someone decides to participate and can follow through with the study visits and procedures.<\/p>\n<p>Numeracy skills include being able to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>read a calendar<\/li>\n<li>follow study medication instructions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It can be helpful to communicate study medication instructions by applying visuals to make the amount, time of day, and duration more clear, as shown in the example below (from <a href=\"https:\/\/med.nyu.edu\/helpix\/node\/32\">NYU&#8217;s\u00a0Health Education and Literacy for Parents (HELP) Project<\/a>)[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;772&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;773&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]Another resource related to medication instructions is the <a href=\"https:\/\/bmjopen.bmj.com\/content\/4\/1\/e003699\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"broken_link\">Universal Medication Schedule<\/a>.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=&#8221;906&#8243; img_size=&#8221;large&#8221; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221;][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_tta_accordion style=&#8221;flat&#8221; shape=&#8221;square&#8221; color=&#8221;white&#8221; c_icon=&#8221;chevron&#8221; active_section=&#8221;0&#8243; no_fill=&#8221;true&#8221; collapsible_all=&#8221;true&#8221;][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;Examples of medication instructions improved using health literacy principles:&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;1571578906871-b00be6f6-2014&#8243;][vc_column_text]\n<table id=\"tablepress-8\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-8\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1 odd\">\n\t<th class=\"column-1\" style=\"width:50%;\">Before<\/th><th class=\"column-2\" style=\"width:50%;\">After<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr class=\"row-2 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Take one inhalation twice daily<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">Take 1 puff in the morning and 1 puff in the evening every day.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Take 1 -2 tablets every 4-6 hours as needed for pain. Do not take more than 6 pills in 24 hours<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">If you have pain,<br \/>\nTake 1 or 2 pills.<br \/>\nWait at least 4 hours before taking again.<br \/>\nDo not take more than 6 pills in 24 hours<br \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Take one tablet three times a day for 7 days, then take 2 tablets three times a day for another 7 days<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">For Days 1 through 7:<br \/>\nTake 1 pill in the morning,<br \/>\n1 pill in the evening, and<br \/>\n1 pill at bedtime.<br \/>\n<br \/>\nFor days 8 through 14:<br \/>\nTake 2 pills in the morning,<br \/>\n 2 pills in the evening, and <br \/>\n2 pills at bedtime until all pills have been taken.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-8 from cache -->[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][\/vc_tta_accordion][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=&#8221;stretch_row_content&#8221;][vc_column][vc_column_text el_id=&#8221;numeracyresources&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1571578748754{padding-top: 10px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #efefef !important;}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Numeracy Resources<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Tool(s) to Support Communication of Numeric Information<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ahrq.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/wysiwyg\/professionals\/education\/curriculum-tools\/shareddecisionmaking\/tools\/tool-5\/share-tool5.pdf\">Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality&#8217;s &#8220;Communicating Numbers to your Patients: A Reference Guide for Healthcare Providers&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.vizhealth.org\/wizard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">http:\/\/www.vizhealth.org\/wizard\/<\/a>\n<ul>\n<li>A dynamic and interactive tool that can be:\n<ul>\n<li>Used to present research risks,<\/li>\n<li>Applied to decisions about whether to participate in a specific trial<\/li>\n<li>Used to decide between different trials.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.iconarray.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iconarray.com<\/a>\n<ul>\n<li>A tool that can be used to create visual representations of numeric information<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_raw_js]JTNDc2NyaXB0JTIwdHlwZSUzRCUyMnRleHQlMkZqYXZhc2NyaXB0JTIyJTNFJTIwalF1ZXJ5JTI4JTIwZnVuY3Rpb24lMjglMjQlMjklMjAlN0IlMEElMEElMjAlMjAlMjQlMjhkb2N1bWVudCUyOS5vbiUyOCUyN3RvdWNoc3RhcnQlMjBjbGljayUyNyUyQyUyMCUyN2xpLnZjX3R0YS10YWIlMjBhJTJDbGkudmNfdHRhLXRhYiUyQy52Y190dGEtcGFuZWwtdGl0bGUlMjclMkMlMjBmdW5jdGlvbiUyOCUyOSU3QiUwQSUyMCUyMCUyMCUyMCUyMCUyNCUyOCUyN2h0bWwlMkMlMjBib2R5JTI3JTI5LnN0b3AlMjglMjklM0IlMEElMjAlMjAlN0QlMjklM0IlMEElMEElN0QlMjklM0IlMjAlM0MlMkZzY3JpcHQlM0U=[\/vc_raw_js][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text] Many people have trouble using and understanding numbers. [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Numeracy is the ability to use math and number concepts in everyday life (Rothman et al 2008) \u2013 such as when following a recipe or figuring out how many minutes until the next train. In the context of healthcare, numeracy skills help for such tasks as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"parent":255,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-sub.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-531","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.mrctcenter.org\/health-literacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/531"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.mrctcenter.org\/health-literacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.mrctcenter.org\/health-literacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.mrctcenter.org\/health-literacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.mrctcenter.org\/health-literacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=531"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/dev.mrctcenter.org\/health-literacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/531\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2236,"href":"https:\/\/dev.mrctcenter.org\/health-literacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/531\/revisions\/2236"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.mrctcenter.org\/health-literacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.mrctcenter.org\/health-literacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}