One of the most important categories of information that patients want to know about the drug they are taking is the likelihood or probability of adverse effects. Apparently patient information leaflets don't give adequate information. Click here to see the findings of recent research on this topic. The researchers say an EU guideline suggests using five verbal descriptors on a scale from common to rare but that the use of these have been shown to lead to gross overestimation of the risk of adverse effects. They also say that currently described best practice is to present verbal descriptions alongside numerical information in the form of natural frequencies, e.g. `rare (affects less than 1 in 1000 people)'. How would you like the information presented?