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The Cognitive and Behavioural Sciences

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Communicating about Risks and Safe Use of Medicines

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the contribution of the cognitive and behavioural sciences to risk communication. First, it addresses the main theories that explain risk perception from a cognitive level and its impact at the behavioural level. Here, the main focus is on the shift from purely probabilistic accounts of risks to the heuristics and emotional and contextual factors that influence perceptions. Second, it reviews some of the main research methods used to study risk perceptions in the context of the safety of, and safe use of, medicines. Here, the main evidence from formative research and the evaluation of communication interventions are discussed. Third, it provides an overview of empirical cognitive and behavioural research by analytically presenting current evidence on risk communication in the field of medicine safety and appropriate usage. This chapter concludes by highlighting the steps necessary to implement successful risk communication in the field.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Science and Medicine, University of Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland

    Sara Rubinelli & Nicola Diviani

  2. Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil, Switzerland

    Sara Rubinelli, Nicola Diviani & Maddalena Fiordelli

  3. Faculty of Communication Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland

    Maddalena Fiordelli

Authors
  1. Sara Rubinelli
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  2. Nicola Diviani
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  3. Maddalena Fiordelli
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Correspondence to Sara Rubinelli .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. European Medicines Agency (EMA), Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, The Netherlands

    Priya Bahri

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Rubinelli, S., Diviani, N., Fiordelli, M. (2020). The Cognitive and Behavioural Sciences. In: Bahri, P. (eds) Communicating about Risks and Safe Use of Medicines. Adis, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3013-5_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3013-5_7

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  • Publisher Name: Adis, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-15-3012-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-15-3013-5

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