No difference in knowledge obtained from infographic or plain language summary of a Cochrane systematic review: three randomized controlled trials



Buljan, Ivan, Malicki, Mario, Wager, Elizabeth, Puljak, Livia, Hren, Darko, Kellie, Frances, West, Helen ORCID: 0000-0001-8712-5890, Alfirevic, Zarko ORCID: 0000-0001-9276-518X and Marusic, Ana
(2018) No difference in knowledge obtained from infographic or plain language summary of a Cochrane systematic review: three randomized controlled trials. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 97. pp. 86-94.

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Abstract

Objectives The aim of this study was to test the usefulness of an infographic in the translation of knowledge about health information from a Cochrane systematic review to lay and professional populations in comparison to a plain language summary (PLS) and scientific abstract (SA). Study Design and Setting We conducted three parallel randomized trials with university students (n = 171), consumers (n = 99), and doctors (n = 64), to examine the effect of different summary formats of a Cochrane systematic review on the knowledge about health information presented in the review, reading experience, and perceived user-friendliness. In the trials involving students and doctors, an infographic was compared to a PLS and a SA, while in those with consumers, an infographic was compared to a PLS. Results We found no difference in knowledge between the infographic and the text-based PLS in any of the trials or in the whole participant sample. All three participant groups preferred the infographic and gave it higher ratings for reading experience (d = 0.48 in the overall sample) and user-friendliness (d = 0.46 in the overall sample). Conclusion Although the infographic format was perceived as more enjoyable for reading, it was not better than a traditional, text-based PLS in the translation of knowledge about findings from a Cochrane systematic review.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Infographic, Plain language summaries, Information translation, Cochrane systematic reviews, Students, Consumers, Doctors
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 14 Aug 2018 15:01
Last Modified: 19 Jan 2023 01:28
DOI: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2017.12.003
Open Access URL: https://www.jclinepi.com/article/S0895-4356(17)304...
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URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3025011