Pharmaceutical Benefit-Risk Perception and Age Differences in the USA and Germany

Perceptions of Risk, Benefit and Trust - A Comparative Assessment Between Healthcare Workers and the General Public Towards 3 Medical Technologies

Background and Objective

While there is a substantial amount of research on risk perception, there has been less focus on the way medical technologies are perceived by experts as opposed to lay individuals. We investigated the factors that may influence the risk perception of healthcare workers (HCWs) and the general public regarding 3 distinct medical technologies: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and the Covid-19 vaccine.

Methods

A cross-sectional study conducted in 2021 among 2 populations: HCWs employed at a general public hospital and a sample of outpatients and individuals who are not medical professionals. The participants completed an electronic questionnaire.

Results

In total, 739 respondents were included: 197 HCWs (26.7%) and 542 members of the public (73.3%). Most of the respondents (89.4%) reported being vaccinated against Covid-19, 43.8% had previously undergone an MRI but 90% had not undergone LASIK. Overall, all 3 technologies assessed in the study were rated by the respondents as having a high benefit and low risk. HCWs and the public showed statistically significant differences in perceived risk towards MRI and LASIK, as well as in some of the risk perception characteristics of each technology. In contrast, no differences in risk perception towards the Covid-19 vaccine were found between HCWs and the public. Both study populations showed a significant negative correlation between trust in the MoH and the perceived risk towards MRI and the Covid-19 vaccine. Both study populations regarded information provided by medical sources as the most reliable for decision-making.

Conclusion

The perceptions and concerns towards medical technologies influence individuals' behavior and acceptance of technologies. They are also essential for risk communication. The study contributes to the understanding of attitudes towards various medical technologies, including risk perception, risk characteristics, trust and sources of information pertaining to each of the technologies, by examining the differences between HCWs and the general public.

N-acetylcysteine does not alter neurometabolite levels in non-treatment seeking adolescents who use alcohol heavily: A preliminary randomized clinical trial

Current treatments for adolescent alcohol use disorder (AUD) are mainly psychosocial and limited in their efficacy. As such, pharmacotherapies are being investigated as potential adjunctive treatments to bolster treatment outcomes. N-acetylcysteine is a promising candidate pharmacotherapy for adolescent AUD because of its tolerability and demonstrated ability to modulate glutamatergic, GABAergic, and glutathione systems. The primary objective of this double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subjects crossover preliminary investigation was to measure potential changes within glutamate + glutamine (Glx), GABA, and glutathione levels in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy during 10-days of N-acetylcysteine (1200 mg twice daily) compared to 10-days of placebo in non-treatment seeking adolescents who use alcohol heavily (N = 31; 55% female). Medication adherence was confirmed via video. Effects on alcohol use were measured using Timeline Follow-Back as an exploratory aim. Linear mixed effects models controlling for baseline metabolite levels, brain tissue composition, alcohol use, cannabis use, and medication adherence found no significant differences in Glx, GABA, or glutathione levels in the dACC after N-acetylcysteine compared to placebo. There were also no measurable effects on alcohol use; however, this finding was underpowered. Findings were consistent in the subsample of participants who met criteria for AUD (n = 19). The preliminary null findings in brain metabolite levels may be due to the young age of participants, relatively low severity of alcohol use, and non-treatment seeking status of the population investigated. Future studies can use these findings to conduct larger, well-powered studies within adolescents with AUD.

The Evolving Field of Risk Communication

The 40th Anniversary of the Society for Risk Analysis presents an apt time to step back and review the field of risk communication. In this review, we first evaluate recent debates over the field's current state and future directions. Our takeaway is that efforts to settle on a single, generic version of what constitutes risk communication will be less productive than an open-minded exploration of the multiple forms that comprise today's vibrant interdisciplinary field. We then review a selection of prominent cognitive, cultural, and social risk communication scholarship appearing in the published literature since 2010. Studies on trust in risk communication messengers continued to figure prominently, while new research directions emerged on the opportunities and critical challenges of enhancing transparency and using social media. Research on message attributes explored how conceptual insights particularly relating to framing, affective and emotional responses, and uncertainty might be operationalized to improve message effectiveness. Studies consistently demonstrated the importance of evaluation and how varying single attributes alone is unlikely to achieve desired results. Research on risk communication audiences advanced on risk perception and multiway engagement with notable interest in personal factors such as gender, race, age, and political orientation. We conclude by arguing that the field's interdisciplinary tradition should be further nurtured to drive the next evolutionary phase of risk communication research.