An Introduction to Uncertainty

Uncertainty has never been a more familiar companion than over the  past year, however the role of uncertainty in the Healthcare setting has  long been of interest. Individual responses to uncertainty can  influence a range of unhelpful behaviours and outcomes, with distress in  the face of uncertainty a common experience for many.

This  session aims to present new learning from psychological research into  responses to uncertainty during the pandemic and to explore how  developing an understanding of both our own and our patient’s responses  to uncertainty can improve our ability to manage and tolerate  uncertainty distress.

Learning Outcomes:

• Describe concepts related to uncertainty as a  psychological process including ‘Intolerance of Uncertainty’ and  Uncertainty distress
• Introduce a psychological theory of  uncertainty distress in the context of COVID19 and how this might  generalise to other contexts.
• Explore our own relationship with uncertainty and consider how uncertainty might affect us
• Consider strategies to manage uncertainty distress for individuals and patients