Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 27, 2025

Experimental Research Examining How People Can Cope with Uncertainty Through Soft Haptic Sensations

Experimental Research Examining How People Can Cope with Uncertainty Through Soft Haptic Sensations

Published on: September 16, 2015

Medical students' responses to uncertainty: a cross-sectional study using a new self-efficacy questionnaire in

Ciara Lee¹, Katherine Hall², Megan Anakin³

¹Department of General Practice and Rural Health, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand ciara.lee@otago.ac.nz.

|June 9, 2023

Abstract

Objectives:

Responding well to clinical uncertainty is a crucial skill for any doctor. To better understand how medical students develop this skill, Social Cognitive Theory can be used to explore students' perceived capability to respond to situations of uncertainty. This study aimed to construct a self-efficacy questionnaire and use it to measure medical students' responses to clinical uncertainty.

Design:

A 29-item questionnaire was constructed. For each item, participants rated their confidence in responding to uncertain situations using a scale of 0-100. Data were analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics.

Setting:

Aotearoa New Zealand.

Participants:

The questionnaire was distributed to 716 of 852 medical students in second, fourth and sixth year, at the three campuses of the Otago Medical School.

Results:

The Self-Efficacy to Respond to Clinical Uncertainty (SERCU) questionnaire was completed by 495 participants (69% response rate) and found to be highly reliable (α=0.93). Exploratory factor analysis confirmed a unidimensional scale. A multiple linear regression model predicted self-efficacy scores from year of study, age, mode of entry, gender and ethnicity, F(11,470) = 4.252, p<0.001 adj. R²=0.069. Male students and those admitted to the programme 3 years postdegree or with significant allied health experience were predicted to have significantly higher self-efficacy scores. Year of study was not a significant predictor of average efficacy scores.

Conclusions:

Our research contributes a novel, highly reliable questionnaire that uses self-efficacy to measure medical student responses to uncertainty. The questionnaire revealed that students' confidence in responding to uncertainty may be more related to their background and life experience than to progression through the curriculum. Medical educators and researchers can use the SERCU questionnaire to obtain a new perspective on how their students respond to uncertainty, inform future research and tailor teaching about uncertainty.

Keywords:

education & training (see medical education & training)medical education & training statistics & research methods

More Related Videos

E-Patient Counseling Trial E-PACO: Computer Based Education versus Nurse Counseling for Patients to Prepare for Colonoscopy

E-Patient Counseling Trial E-PACO: Computer Based Education versus Nurse Counseling for Patients to Prepare for Colonoscopy

Published on: August 1, 2019

Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat

Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat

Published on: September 12, 2014

Related Concept Videos

Self-Discrepancy Theory

Self-Discrepancy Theory

One influential perspective on what motivates people's behavior is detailed in Tory Higgin's self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987). He proposed that people hold disagreeing internal representations of themselves that lead to different emotional states.

Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques I

Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques I

Stress prevention and management are crucial for maintaining well-being and building resilience. Techniques to manage stress include cultivating qualities like conscientiousness, a sense of personal control, and self-efficacy. Each of these traits significantly reduces stress and promotes healthier lifestyle choices and outcomes.
Conscientiousness
Conscientious individuals tend to be organized, responsible, and disciplined. They prioritize completing tasks and following structured routines,...

Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification

Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification

Social psychologists have documented that feeling good about ourselves and maintaining positive self-esteem is a powerful motivator of human behavior (Tavris & Aronson, 2008). In the United States, members of the predominant culture typically think very highly of themselves and view themselves as good people who are above average on many desirable traits (Ehrlinger, Gilovich, & Ross, 2005). Often, our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are affected when we experience a threat to our...

Obedience

Obedience

According to obedience research, we may harm others under the forceful pressures of an authority figure (Milgram, 1974). How about if the inappropriate orders were delivered with less force? The increasing interdependence between nurses and physicians compelled Hofling and his colleagues to explore nurses’ reactions to a potentially harmful medical request made by the perceived authority figure, the doctor (Hofling, Brotzman, Dalrymple, Graves, & Pierce, 1966). In this situation,...

Uncertainty in Measurement: Accuracy and Precision

Uncertainty in Measurement: Accuracy and Precision

Scientists typically make repeated measurements of a quantity to ensure the quality of their findings and to evaluate both the precision and the accuracy of their results. Measurements are said to be precise if they yield very similar results when repeated in the same manner. A measurement is considered accurate if it yields a result that is very close to the true or the accepted value. Precise values agree with each other; accurate values agree with a true value.

Lazarus's Cognitive Appraisal Theory

Lazarus's Cognitive Appraisal Theory

Cognitive psychologist Richard Lazarus proposed the cognitive-mediational theory of emotions, which emphasizes how individuals' assessments of stressors significantly affect their experience of stress. According to Lazarus, the stress response is determined by a two-step appraisal process: primary appraisal and secondary appraisal. These cognitive appraisals help individuals evaluate the potential impact of a stressor and determine the adequacy of their coping resources.
Primary Appraisal:...

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Applied insights for using Generative Artificial Intelligence in Faculty Development in Health Professions Education.

MedEdPublish (2016)·2026

How do new doctors prescribe insulin? Qualitative exploration of the complexity of everyday practice and implications for medical education.

BMJ open·2025

Disentangling faculty development: A scoping review towards a rich description of the concept and its practice.

Medical teacher·2024

Impact of an educational intervention utilising a three-dimensional-printed model for ultrasound-guided intra-articular injections of the dislocated shoulder.

Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA·2024

Finding Themselves, Their Place, Their Way: Uncertainties Identified by Medical Students.

Teaching and learning in medicine·2023

Revealing the impact of the hidden curriculum on faculty teaching: A qualitative study.

Medical education·2023

See all related articles