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Making Sense of Health Statistics

Last week, the United States Preventative Services Task Force released new guidelines for routine mammography screening in women, suggesting that women should start regular breast cancer screening at age 50 and that women aged 50 to 74 should get a mammogram once every two years. The same group previously stated that women should have mammograms every one to two years starting at age 40.... Read moreLast week, the United States Preventative Services Task Force released new guidelines for routine mammography screening in women, suggesting that women should start regular breast cancer screening at age 50 and that women aged 50 to 74 should get a mammogram once every two years. The same group previously stated that women should have mammograms every one to two years starting at age 40. The controversy that has arisen from these new guidelines underscores the need for effective interpretation of health statistics across the board. Health statistics fill today’s information environment, but even most doctors, who must make daily decisions and recommendations based on numerical data – for instance, to calculate the risks of a certain drug or surgical intervention, or to inform a patient of the possible benefits versus harms of cancer screening – lack the basic statistical literacy they require to make such decisions effectively. View page