Comparison and Analysis of Natural Frequencies and Diagrams to Support Understanding of “Probability of Cause”

Abstract

　　For the difficulty that many physicians and other professionals have in being able to consider the relationship between the presence or absence of morbidity and test results in terms of probability of cause, natural frequencies and diagrams have been developed and are considered effective as aids. However, comparison and analysis of their characteristics have only been partially conducted. Based on the above, the purpose of this paper is to compare and analyze the features of natural frequencies and diagrams proposed in previous studies. In order to achieve this purpose, this paper asks, “What kinds of expressions have been proposed to support the understanding of probability of cause? And how can they be organized? and how can they be organized?” In order to answer this research question, a narrative review was conducted. As a result, 13 graphical representations were compared and analyzed from 12 perspectives. We also pointed out the possibility that natural frequencies and graphical representations are effective in dealing with difficulties caused by the specificity of the probability of cause.