Putting risk into context

Key content• Risks are measured in various ways by epidemiologists and portrayed with varying degrees of accuracy by the media. • Doctors should examine their motives for explaining risks. These may include the wish to avoid litigation or to persuade women to take a specific course of action. • Communicating risk requires a background knowledge of how risk is measured and a relationship of trust between doctors and women. • Words and numbers are useful in communicating risk and decision aids are now available to help this process. • Understanding the woman's view is essential – remembering that it may change during pregnancy – and there are techniques for learning this skill.Learning objectives• To understand how risks are measured and how they are perceived by women. • To be aware of the importance of the doctor's attitude to risks. • To know the prerequisites for communicating risk and the range of techniques for doing so effectively.Ethical issues• Does the doctor's opinion bias the information he or she gives? • When a woman finds it difficult to take a decision herself, should the doctor do this for her?Please cite this article as: Drife J. Putting risk into context. The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist 2007;9:42–47.