Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 17, 2026
09:07
Experimental Research Examining How People Can Cope with Uncertainty Through Soft Haptic Sensations
Published on: September 16, 2015
Conceptual, methodological, and ethical problems in communicating uncertainty in clinical evidence
1Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME 04101, USA. hanp@mmc.org
Medical Care Research and Review : MCRR
|November 8, 2012
Summary
Communicating clinical uncertainty involves conceptual, methodological, and ethical challenges. Future research needs conceptual clarity and consistent methods to help patients navigate medical decision-making with uncertainty.
Area of Science:
- Medical Communication
- Clinical Decision Making
- Evidence-Based Practice
Background:
- Communicating uncertainty in clinical evidence presents significant challenges.
- These challenges span conceptual, methodological, and ethical domains.
- Understanding and addressing these issues is crucial for effective healthcare.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the literature on communicating uncertainty in clinical evidence.
- To identify conceptual, methodological, and ethical problems.
- To propose future research directions for improved communication.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of existing research on uncertainty communication.
- Analysis of conceptual, methodological, and ethical issues.
- Identification of gaps and future research needs.
Main Results:
- Conceptual issues include probability paradoxes and ambiguity (second-order uncertainty).
- Methodological issues concern optimal representation and communication of uncertainty.
- Ethical issues involve patient autonomy, benefits, and harms.
Conclusions:
- Greater conceptual clarity and consistent methods are needed for understanding uncertainty.
- Clinical interventions should support patients in decision-making amidst uncertainty.
- Future research should focus on addressing these critical areas for better patient outcomes.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:21Barriers to Effective Communication II
The barriers to effective communication also include cultural barriers, semantic barriers, gender barriers, and time constraints.
Cultural barriers:
Differences in values, beliefs, religion, knowledge, and tradition can significantly impact communication. Awareness of nonverbal cues is critical, especially when conversing with a patient from a different culture. What appears appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another.
Semantic barriers:
As a result of their tendency to use...
Cultural barriers:
Differences in values, beliefs, religion, knowledge, and tradition can significantly impact communication. Awareness of nonverbal cues is critical, especially when conversing with a patient from a different culture. What appears appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another.
Semantic barriers:
As a result of their tendency to use...
00:59Propagation of Uncertainty from Random Error
An experiment often consists of more than a single step. In this case, measurements at each step give rise to uncertainty. Because the measurements occur in successive steps, the uncertainty in one step necessarily contributes to that in the subsequent step. As we perform statistical analysis on these types of experiments, we must learn to account for the propagation of uncertainty from one step to the next. The propagation of uncertainty depends on the type of arithmetic operation performed on...
01:23Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Biopharmaceutical studies constitute a vital field aiming to enhance drug delivery methods and refine therapeutic approaches, drawing upon diverse interdisciplinary knowledge. In research methodologies, the choice between controlled and non-controlled studies significantly influences the study's reliability and accuracy.
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast, controlled...
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast, controlled...
00:59Uncertainty: Overview
In analytical chemistry, we often perform repetitive measurements to detect and minimize inaccuracies caused by both determinate and indeterminate errors. Despite the cares we take, the presence of random errors means that repeated measurements almost never have exactly the same magnitude. The collective difference between these measurements - observed values - and the estimated or expected value is called uncertainty. Uncertainty is conventionally written after the estimated or expected value.
01:29Bias in Epidemiological Studies
Biases can arise at various stages of research, from study design and data collection to analysis and interpretation. Recognizing and addressing these biases is essential to ensure the validity and reliability of epidemiological findings.Broadly speaking, biases in epidemiology fall into three main categories: selection bias, information bias, and confounding. A more detailed description of possible biases is:
01:27Confounding in Epidemiological Studies
Confounding in statistical epidemiology represents a pivotal challenge, referring to the distortion in the perceived relationship between an exposure and an outcome due to the presence of a third variable, known as a confounder. This variable is associated with both the exposure and the outcome but is not a direct link in their causal chain. Its presence can lead to erroneous interpretations of the exposure's effect, either exaggerating or underestimating the true association. This phenomenon...