Consider that in ”the 34 studies that assessed understanding of benefits, patients overestimated their potential gain in 22 of them, or 65 percent.”

The two writers go on: ”Why do patients err in assessments of risks and benefits? One reason could be that what they know is driven by the messages they hear. Doctors, direct-to-consumer ads and the media can skew our perceptions. They tend to focus on the benefits, but rarely quantify them. healthcare centers, screening advocacy programs and pharmaceutical ads all push us to talk to our doctors about getting treatment without talking about actual gains.”