Perspectives on risk communication and gender issues

Abstract

The purpose of risk communication in clinical practice is to inform and protect; to support wise, balanced and rational decisions that match patients’ wishes and needs, and, in this and the next chapter, particularly those of women. Risk communication touches almost all aspects of our lives. While the quality of the information on which risk communication is based is important, much more influential for effectiveness is the quality of the communication through which the information is mediated and the way in which those who deliver it are perceived. Part 1 of this chapter examines the complex issues that influence risk perception and tolerance in general and how risk can be most effectively expressed. Part 2 focuses on the multiple variables and risks that shape women’s lives, often to their great disadvantage, and the impact these have on health, healthcare and risk communication.