The process of determining the difference in risk between two groups, one that receives a treatment or intervention and one that does not, yields a crucial value for assessing the intervention’s effectiveness. This value represents the decrease in the proportion of individuals experiencing an adverse outcome in the treated group compared to the untreated group. For example, if 10% of individuals in a control group experience a heart attack, while only 8% of individuals in a treatment group experience one, the difference is 2%, reflecting the impact of the treatment.
This measurement offers a direct and easily interpretable assessment of the real-world impact of an intervention. Unlike relative measures, it provides a clear understanding of the actual reduction in risk for individuals. Historically, its adoption has been crucial in healthcare and public health for making informed decisions about treatment options and resource allocation, ensuring that interventions with the most substantial benefit are prioritized. The magnitude of this difference directly informs clinical decisions, policy development, and patient understanding of treatment efficacy.