Characteristics of included studies
| Study | Year | Country | Disease focus | Study design | Study sample and setting | Study aims | Terms manipulated | Primary outcomes measured | Other outcomes measured |
| Copp et al | 2017 | Australia | PCOS | Randomised experimental design (2×2x(2) factorial design) | 181 female university students | To test the impact of the PCOS disease label on intention to undergo an ultrasound and psychosocial outcomes | ‘Polycystic ovary syndrome’ versus ‘hormonal imbalance’ | Intention to have an ultrasound (10 point scale: 1 = definitely will not to 10 = definitely will) | Negative affect, self-esteem, perceived severity of condition, credibility of GP and interest in a second opinion |
| McCaffery et al | 2015 | Australia | DCIS | Randomised experimental design (cross-over design) | 269 healthy women from a community sample | To examine whether the use of terminology including the term cancer to describe DCIS increased hypothetical level of concern and treatment preferences | ‘Abnormal cells’ versus ‘pre-invasive breast cancer cells’ | Treatment preferences: treatment versus watchful waiting, measured on a five-point Likert scale (definitely prefer treatment, probably prefer treatment, prefer to do nothing, probably prefer watchful waiting, definitely prefer watchful waiting) | Level of concern measured on a five-point Likert scale (Extremely concerned–Not concerned at all) |
| Nickel et al* | 2015 | Australia | DCIS | Semistructured qualitative interviews | 26 women from a community sample | To understand how different proposed terminologies for DCIS affect women's perceived concern and management preferences | ‘Abnormal cells’ versus ‘pre-invasive breast cancer cells’ ‘ductal carcinoma in situ’ ‘ductal intraepithelial neoplasia’ ‘indolent lesions of epithelial origin’ | Women’s qualitative responses to terminologies with and without the cancer term on level of concern and management preferences | |
| Omer et al | 2013 | USA | DCIS | Randomised experimental design (cross-over design) | 394 healthy women with no history of breast cancer from a hospital patient registry | To examine how women respond to terminology for DCIS without the cancer term | ‘Non-invasive breast cancer’, ‘breast lesion’, ‘abnormal cells’ | Treatment preferences (choice between surgery, medication, active surveillance) | |
| Scherer et al | 2013 | USA | GERD | Randomised experimental design (2×2 factorial design) | 175 parents aged 18 years or older presenting at a primary care paediatric clinic | To determine if the disease label GERD influences parents’ perceived need to medicate an infant | ‘GERD’ versus no label ‘this problem’ | Parents’ interest in giving their infant medication (three measures using six-point Likert scale: No, definitely not–Yes, definitely) | Perception of illness severity (three measures using five-point Likert scale: worry = Not at all worried–Very worried, serious = Not at all serious–Very serious, sick = Strongly disagree–Agree) Appreciation of medication offered (one measure using five-point Likert scale: No, definitely not–Yes, definitely) |
| Scherer et al | 2015 | USA | Conjunctivitis | Randomised experimental design (2×2 factorial design) | 159 parents aged 18 years or older presenting at a primary care paediatric clinic | To determine whether the ‘pink eye’ term would influence parents’ beliefs about the condition and their interest in using antibiotics | ‘Pink eye’ versus ‘eye infection’ | Parents’ decision to give their child antibiotics measured on a six-point Likert scale (No, definitely not–Yes, definitely) | Targeted beliefs about contagiousness measured on a five-point Likert scale (Not at all contagious–Very contagious) Parents ability to send their child to day care measured on a five-point Likert scale (Not at all likely–Very likely) |
| Azam et al | 2010 | UK | Bony fracture | Cross-sectional survey | 100 adult patients presenting at an emergency department | To assess the way different terms used to describe a fracture affect the understanding a patients has of it including the perceived severity of the injury and how the patient expects to be treated | ‘A crack in the bone’ ‘A broken bone’ ‘A fracture’ ‘A hairline fracture’ ‘A greenstick fracture’ | Expected treatment (choice between heals on own, sling, cast, operation) | Perceived severity on a 10-point scale (one being minimally problematic to 10 being a very serious injury) |
*Included qualitative study.
DCIS, ductal carcinoma in situ; GERD, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease; GP, general practitioner; PCOS, polycystic ovary syndrome.