Glossary

Any response that enables an individual to adjust to uncertainty appropriately and effectively, and meet the expectations of their role(s). Within the context of healthcare, this may include engaging in evidence-based medicine, person-centred care, and engaging an extended peer community.

‘Randomness’ or ‘indeterminacy’ of future outcomes. Similar to 'probability'.

‘Randomness’ or ‘indeterminacy’ of future outcomes. Similar to 'probability'.

1) An experience that provokes a sense of vagueness and/or is open to multiple interpretations. 2) A property of information which stimulates uncertainty due to a lack of reliability, credibility or adequacy.

Relating to actions.

Relating to thoughts.

Features of a phenomenon that make it challenging to grasp, caused by multiple elements interacting in a non-linear fashion. Also understood to be 'irreducible uncertainty' in sustainability literature.  For more on this, refer to Chapter 3.

Looking back on an experience or scenario and exploring the thoughts, feelings and actions taken with the purpose of learning from the experience, so that learnings may be applied to future scenarios. May aid in the development of uncertainty tolerance.

Relating to feelings.

Knowledge which is incomplete.

Drawn from the sustainability literature (post-normal science), this term refers to an approach to democratising knowledge. In a healthcare context, democratising knowledge would represent diverse knowledge holders including patients, caregivers and all those involved with healthcare. True 'extended peer communities' (EPC) are diverse and result in all parties learning something new. Herein no one person is the 'taker', 'receiver', or 'giver' of knowledge because every member of the EPC fills each of these roles.

Case-based learning activities which purposefully embed uncertainty through limiting or omitting information or by having the objective of the case focused on identifying next best steps or a differential diagnoses (as opposed to a definitive diagnosis). This type of uncertainty stimulus helps learners recognise that uncertainty is a natural part of healthcare practice. For more on this term, refer to Chapter 4.

Individuals' unique thoughts, unpredictable behaviours, and different ways of thinking that acts as a source of uncertainty.

Lesions identified in people undergoing imaging for an unrelated lesion. The term is typically used to refer to lesions that are asymptomatic, benign and/or of dubious clinical significance, the most common example being adrenal adenomas.

Responses that do not effectively manage the uncertainty within a specific context.

Contextual factors (from the individual or the situation) which impact on an individual's uncertainty tolerance or capacity to respond adaptively or maladaptively to uncertainty.

Similar to questioning preconceptions, this method for stimulating uncertainty also challenges beliefs and tacit knowledge, but by providing multiple perspectives on the same subject. For more on this term, refer to Chapter 4.

An approach to healthcare where the provider makes decisions they believe to be in the ‘best interests of the patient’, regardless of whether this is true. As such, this limits autonomy and agency of patients. May be considered at the opposite end of the spectrum to healthcare approaches that support patient autonomy and person-centred care.

People in receipt of healthcare. This term and others such as 'client' and 'consumer' have been problematised. For instance, not all those seeking and/or engaging with healthcare identify as patients, and many think ‘clients’ illustrates a transactional relationship. We hope to be able to update this terminology to be more inclusive as the English language develops.

When an individual becomes aware of the uncertainty stimulus.

An approach to healthcare that focusses on supporting and treating the person receiving the healthcare in the way they want to be cared for. Thus, the patient is leading by partnering with the healthcare provider(s). May also be referred to as ‘patient-centred care’, and may be considered at the opposite end of the spectrum to paternalistic approaches.

An individual's belief in their capacity to complete the behaviours required to achieve a specific performance

A health care professional who is the first point of contact for a person seeking healthcare. This may refer to professionals such as general practitioners, pharmacists and allied health professionals such as physiotherapists in some healthcare systems. In some settings, primary care provider may refer specifically to a general practitioner.

‘Randomness’ or ‘indeterminacy’ of future outcomes. Similar to 'aleatoric uncertainty'.

Defined as educational activities which challenge tacit knowledge, belief systems and perceived truths, this type of stimulus provokes uncertainty by illustrating that knowledge and concepts may not be as clear-cut as originally perceived. For more on this term, refer to Chapter 4.

How people react to experiences of uncertainty across their emotions, behaviour, and cognitions.

In healthcare, risk refers to danger to the patient in the context of health. The sustainability literature suggests that risk also indicates 'quantifiable uncertainty' wherein risk represents calcuable unknowns, and complexity represents unquantifiable unknowns on an 'uncertainty continuum'.

Research is considered 'settled' when there is a large body of longitudinal evidence across multiple fields and gathered from multiple sources.

The reasons underlying why uncertainty may be perceived, including ambiguity, probability and complexity. Synonymous with stimuli of uncertainty. For more on this term, refer to Chapter 3.

Investment or interest in a given situation for an individual. Distinct from risk.

The reasons underlying why uncertainty may be perceived, including ambiguity, probability and complexity. Synonymous with sources of uncertainty.

A synonymous term for uncertainty tolerance. Although individual researchers and writers may specify how tolerance for ambiguity differs from uncertainty tolerance, a review of these constructs was unable to identify clear distinctions.

Educational activities which challenge learners to apply knowledge learned in one context to another. Transferring learning can include applying previously learned textbook or theoretical knowledge to real-world cases or transferring skills and knowledge acquired in simulation to clinical practice. When transferring knowledge from one context to another, learners face uncertainty about which aspects of prior learned knowledge apply to the new contexts and also uncertainty about what new knowledge is needed in the novel scenario. For more on this term, refer to Chapter 4.

A perception of not knowing.

Maladaptive responses to uncertainty through actions, thoughts, and/or feelings. What constitutes a maladaptive response is influenced by a range of moderators.

Uncertainty tolerance is defined as adaptively, or appropriately, responding to uncertainty through actions, thoughts, and/or feelings. Aligning with contemporary conceptualisations, tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty tolerance are treated synonmously in this handbook. Uncertainty tolerance will be the predominant term referenced. For more on this term, please see Chapter 3.