Temporal changes in tolerance of uncertainty among medical students: insights from an exploratory study.
Med Educ Online
; 20: 28285, 2015.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-26356230
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Physicians' tolerance of uncertainty (TU) is a trait potentially associated with desirable outcomes, and emerging evidence suggests it may change over time. Past studies of TU, however, have been cross-sectional and have not measured tolerance of the different, specific types of uncertainty that physicians confront. We addressed these limitations in a longitudinal exploratory study of medical students.METHODS:
At the end of medical school (Doctor of Medicine degree) Years 1 and 4, a cohort of 26 students at a US medical school completed measures assessing tolerance of different types of uncertainty 1) complexity (uncertainty arising from features of information that make it difficult to comprehend); 2) risk (uncertainty arising from the indeterminacy of future outcomes); and 3) ambiguity (uncertainty arising from limitations in the reliability, credibility, or adequacy of information). Change in uncertainty-specific TU was assessed using paired t-tests.RESULTS:
Between Years 1 and 4, there was a significant decrease in tolerance of ambiguity (t=3.22, p=0.004), but no change in students' tolerance of complexity or risk.CONCLUSIONS:
Tolerance of ambiguity--but not other types of uncertainty--decreases during medical school, suggesting that TU is a multidimensional, partially mutable state. Future studies should measure tolerance of different uncertainties and examine how TU might be improved.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Estudiantes de Medicina
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Incertidumbre
Tipo de estudio:
Etiology_studies
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Observational_studies
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Prevalence_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Adult
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Female
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Humans
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Male
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Med Educ Online
Asunto de la revista:
EDUCACAO
Año:
2015
Tipo del documento:
Article