Risk Literacy Among Portuguese Medical and Dentistry Students
Condition: Medical Education; Decision Support Techniques
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      This study is an online survey to assess risk literacy among students of the medical and
      dentistry faculties in Portugal. Risk literacy is the capability to understand and interpret
      statistical information, based on simple rules of thumb.

      The investigators assess the level of "medical risk literacy" among Portuguese medical and
      dentistry students with the Quick Risk Test (QRT) and the multiple choice version of the
      Berlin Numeracy Test (BNT).
    

Detailed description: 
      This study is an online survey to assess risk literacy among students of the medical and
      dentistry faculties in Portugal.

      The primary outcome is the measurement of "medical risk literacy" among Portuguese medical
      and dentistry students as assessed with the Quick Risk Test (QRT) and the multiple choice
      version of the Berlin Numeracy Test (BNT).

      Secondary outcomes is to investigate whether study year, faculty, and prior statistical
      education have an impact on the level of risk literacy. Participants will be invited via
      email through established faculty mailing lists or established social media channels. For the
      survey, an online-survey tool (Unipark, academic program or Questback) will be used.
      Participation is voluntary and can be withdrawn at any time by aborting the survey (e.g. via
      closing the browser). Informed consent will be acquired at the beginning of the survey.
      English and Portuguese versions will be available to the participant.

      As incentive to participate, participants completing the brief (ca.15 minutes)
      online-questionnaire will be granted a free subscriptions to the AMBOSS medical learning
      platform (2 weeks) and have the option to be entered into a lottery with the possibility of
      winning one of 3 free 6 month subscriptions.

      After completion of the questionnaire, participants will be re-directed to a dedicated AMBOSS
      website where they can enter their email-address to take part in the lottery. This assures
      strict separation of the anonymous experimental data and the AMBOSS subscription data. Prior
      to initiation of the questionnaire, in the invitation email, participants will be provided
      the full participant information and made aware that, due to anonymity, it will not be
      possible to retrospectively delete their responses once the survey has been completed.

      As the primary outcome is a baseline assessment and the secondary outcomes are exploratory
      analyses, no hypotheses will be tested in this survey.
    

Intervention name(s): No Intervention. Observational study.
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): No Intervention. Observational study.
Observational model: Cohort
Time perspective: Cross-Sectional
Sampling method: Non-Probability Sample
Study population: 
        All matriculated students at Portuguese medical and dental faculties will be invited to
        participate (participation of faculties to be confirmed).
      
Keywords: medical education; risk literacy; risk savvy; statistics; risk communication; probabilistic data; heuristics; students