Management of Uncertainty in Everyday Pediatric Care

Abstract

Medicine is filled with uncertainty. Clinicians may experience uncertainty due to limitations in their own or existing medical knowledge. Uncertainty can be scientific, practical, or personal, and may involve issues related to probability, ambiguity, and complexity. Pediatricians face additional uncertainties related to the role of families in decision-making and limited ability to know the preferences of children. Clinicians may approach uncertainty in different ways: some choosing to embrace its presence and others attempting to avoid it. Ultimately, pediatricians must learn to navigate uncertainty together with their patients and families, minimizing it when possible while accepting that its presence is unavoidable.

Keywords: Child’s best interest; Managing uncertainty; Shared decision-making; Tolerating uncertainty; Uncertainty in pediatrics.