New tool for presenting risk in obstetrics and gynecology

BACKGROUND: The Paling Perspective Scale, a means of communicating risk in various settings, has been applied to diverse fields such as nuclear power, blood banking, and ophthalmology. TECHNIQUE: Statistics of risk for various events in obstetrics and gynecology were collected from the literature and directly applied to the risk scale. EXPERIENCE: The graphic simplicity and versatility of this scale make it adaptable for communicating risks to people of different technical and educational backgrounds. CONCLUSION: The Paling Perspective Scale might help obstetrician-gynecologists obtain informed consent for surgery, genetic counseling, and other topics.