Existential uncertainty in health care: A concept analysis.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare
• Psychology
• Philosophy

Background:

• Existential uncertainty is a key aspect of patient uncertainty in healthcare.
• The term "existential uncertainty" is used inconsistently across disciplines.
• A systematic definition of existential uncertainty is lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To generate a theoretically-informed conceptualization of existential uncertainty.
• To define existential uncertainty within the context of an established taxonomy.
• To explore antecedents, consequences, and empirical referents of existential uncertainty.

Main Methods:

• Concept analysis of existential uncertainty.
• Drawing on interdisciplinary uses of the term.
• Incorporating insights from uncertainty theory and existential therapy literature.

Main Results:

• Existential uncertainty is defined as an awareness of the undetermined, finite nature of being.
• It primarily concerns identity, meaning, and choice.
• This awareness is fundamental, ineradicable, and manifests at various consciousness levels.

Conclusions:

• Identity, worldview, and meaning help manage existential uncertainty, which can be challenged by diagnoses.
• Medical professionals should acknowledge existential uncertainty alongside scientific uncertainty.
• Further research is needed for measurement and interventions, but this conceptualization is a first step.