Korean J Med Educ.  2018 Sep;30(3):181-188. 10.3946/kjme.2018.92.

Understanding uncertainty in medicine: concepts and implications in medical education

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Medical Education, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. ymleehj@korea.ac.kr

Abstract

In an era of high technology and low trust, acknowledging and coping with uncertainty is more crucial than ever. Medical uncertainty has been considered an innate feature of medicine and medical practice. An intolerance to uncertainty increases physicians' stress and the effects of burnout and may be a potential threat to patient safety. Understanding medical uncertainty and acquiring proper coping strategies has been regarded to be a core clinical competency for medical graduates and trainees. Integrating intuition and logic and creating a culture that acknowledges medical uncertainty could be suggested ways to teach medical uncertainty. In this article, the authors describe the concepts of medical uncertainty, its influences on physicians and on medical students toward medical decision making, the role of tolerance/intolerance to uncertainty, and proposed strategies to improve coping with medical uncertainty.

Keyword

Uncertainty; Decision making; Medical education; Competency-based education; Heuristics

MeSH Terms

Clinical Competence
Clinical Decision-Making
Competency-Based Education
Decision Making
Education, Medical*
Heuristics
Humans
Intuition
Logic
Patient Safety
Students, Medical
Uncertainty*
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