An exploratory study of the efficacy of medical illustration detail for delivering cancer information

Medical illustrations are an effective means of conveying complex information about cancer to patients and laypersons. However, there are no standard criteria for creating these illustrations. This study used online exploratory research focussed on laypersons to identify the aspects of an illustration that convey the optimal degree of detail and understand these findings. Six illustrations depicting pancreatic cancer and nine depicting cervical cancer, with high, medium, and low levels of detail, were created. A total of 420 participants (male = 210, female = 210, aged 20 years and above) answered an online questionnaire about these illustrations. The results indicated that female participants tended to prefer the same illustration level that they also found most comprehensible. Younger participants (under 40 years) tended to prefer illustrations with a medium level of detail for both cancers. Older participants (40 years and above) tended to prefer illustrations with a high level of detail for both cancers. This study was unable to determine the reasons behind these preferences. However, the researchers hypothesise that older people's preference for higher levels of detail may be due to their greater concerns about cancer and because they find the illustrations to be more effective in conveying relevant information.