The goal of this exercise is to give you experience applying Chapter 12's guidelines when creating graphics to meet the needs of particular readers.

The Exercise

Evaluating Analgesic Effectiveness: You are a member of a research team at a large metropolitan hospital which is conducting a study on the effectiveness of a new intravenous analgesic, T-Perc-42, for treatment of pain during a certain procedure that usually lasts at least 4 hours. A general anesthetic is not possible during the treatment, so a more effective analgesic is desirable for patient comfort.

The board of directors at the hospital is interested in the initial findings. They are not all medical professionals, and do not want any conclusions from the study yet, but simply request a short presentation of the first phase of the study. The pain scale used is given, as well as the results from 15 patients given the drug and 15 given a more traditional analgesic, called Cetanyl.

The head of your team has given you the job of organizing the information into one or more tables or charts to be presented.

Your Assignment

Using the information below, produce a visual aid that clearly shows the results of the study so far. The board will be especially interested in the comparison between the T-Perc-42 and the Cetanyl groups.

Responses are compiled from attending nurse reports of patients verbally reported pain levels, at 0,1,2, and 3 hours after the procedure begins. The scale is as follows:

5 - Excruciating
4 - Severe
3 - Moderate
2 - Mild pain
1 - Slight discomfort
0 - No Pain