1. Introduction
MAY, RECRUITMENT, ACUTE BRONCHITIS, GIST
(1) Background: Fact boxes present the benefits and harms of medical interventions in the form of tables. Some studies suggest that people with a lower level of education could profit more from graphic presentations. The objective of the study was to compare three different formats in fact boxes with regard to verbatim and gist knowledge in general and according to the educational background. (2) Methods: In May 2020, recruitment started for this randomized controlled trial. Participants were given one out of three presentation formats: natural frequencies, percentages, and graphic. We used LimesurveyIn the past, the lack of evidence-based health information has been reported repeatedly [The authors of the guideline evidence-based health information conducted an evidence synthesis to present the effects of the fact boxes in comparison with other formats. The guideline could only include two RCTs that showed a positive effect of the fact boxes regarding the outcomes risk perception and knowledge, and comprehensibility and readability. As only two small studies were included, the guideline did not give a clear recommendation [For this study, we updated the systematic literature search conducted for the guideline and found two more studies. Aiken et al. reported that readers prefer fact boxes to other formats, and that the recall of the risks of a medication improved in comparison to other formats [However, there are differences in the way the tables are presented and in the accompanying texts. Data on the frequencies of benefits and harms are shown numerically (natural frequencies or percentages) or graphically in fact boxes [To date, fact boxes have barely been evaluated [The objective of the current pilot study was to compare the three formats natural frequencies, percentages, and bar graphs in fact boxes with regard to comprehension in the general population and in groups with varying educational background. We used antibiotics for acute bronchitis as an example. In addition, this study aimed to determine the feasibility and acceptability of the knowledge test as well as the necessary size of the sample in the planned study and the study procedures for the comprehensive randomized controlled trial (RCT).