Dealing with uncertainty
Dealing with uncertainty https://medicalimprovgb.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/uncertainty-1024x576.png 1024 576 Esther Waterhouse https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1c7b281787878ae4f0c33c7c9a5a44d7b8d548954b9343a55c410203089eabfb?s=96&d=mm&r=g
We have been thinking about uncertainty, and how it applies to healthcare and to improv. Esther heard a wonderful talk on ‘Palliating Uncertainty’ given by Dr Ariel Dempsey from Oxford and it got her thinking.
‘The only certainty is uncertainty’ is a quote ascribed to Pliny the Elder (CE 23/24 – 79). Benjamin Franklin put it another way in his famous comment about death and taxes being the only certainties in life. And yet in healthcare we look for certainty – of diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. In our struggle to deal with the uncertainty, we often resort to feeling that things are more certain than they are.
Our conversations with patients and families are often scripted in our heads, leaving us struggling when the other person has a different script. Esther recently tried to talk to a patient about their serious diagnosis – all they wanted to talk about was who would look after their pet tortoise while they were in hospital!
So how can improv help? The exercises we teach help us to stay in the moment – and out of our heads – really listening to what is going on and responding accordingly.
They help us to talk about uncertainty and to notice how that lands with the other person, to know whether the information we give is being heard (let alone retained!).
They help us to reflect on how we deal with mistakes and other unexpected happenings, how we show compassion and competence even in the midst of uncertainty, and how we can demonstrate empathy in the most difficult circumstances.
All of these skills will help us to deal with uncertainties – be they someone responding in an unexpected manner, or the very real uncertainty of diagnosis or prognosis.
If you struggle to deal with uncertainty, in any form, come on a study day with us and find out more! Link in bio. And if you’re interested in Ariel’s work on uncertainty, you can view a talk by her here https://www.ted.com/talks/ariel_dempsey_live_like_you_re_dying_acting_in_uncertainty?language=en
