Woloshin, Steven, M.D
-- Library Journal, 8/26/2008 7:57:00 AM
Woloshin, Steven, M.D., & others. Know Your Chances: Understanding Health Statistics. Univ. of California. Nov. 2008. c.110p. illus. index. ISBN 978-0-520-25222-6. pap. $16.95. HEALTH
“How to see through the hype in medical news, ads, and public service announcements” boasts the cover of this accessible and reader-friendly book by Dartmouth Medical School faculty and researchers Woloshin, Lisa M. Schwartz, M.D., and H. Gilbert Welch, M.D. (Should I Be Tested for Cancer?). Assaulted by incomplete, misleading, and overstated health messages by the media, health journals, and pharmaceutical companies, the general public is poorly prepared in how to read the information critically, how to assess credible evidence, and how to interpret statistics. The authors here set out to correct these shortcomings by explaining how to understand risk, judge the benefit of health interventions, and consider outcomes. The subject is complex, but the text is short and simple. Quick, useful quizzes complete coverage and verify that the reader has understood the material. “Learn More” boxes provide easy opportunities to investigate a subject in more detail. A “Quick Summary,” glossary, and “Credible Sources of Health Statistics” section are helpful in presenting the basic skills necessary in navigating today’s confusing health-media landscape. Recommended for all libraries.—James Swanton, Harlem Hosp. Lib., New York
