November 15, 2023

#31: Uncertainty doesn't prevent action

1 hour 11 minutes

Every iconic scientist has a quote emphasising the importance of uncertainty and doubt that underpins the scientific attitude. This holds true as much for fundamental physics and biological science as it does for health science, probably far more so in the case of health science. For we are complex, non-linear creatures, each with different stories, backgrounds, contexts and circumstances. Because of this, clinical uncertainty is ubiquitous, it's everywhere, but this should not paralyse us according to my guest on this episode, Nathalia Costa, PhD. Enjoy.

Key Papers:

Costa N, Olson R, Mescouto K, Hodges PW, Dillon M, Evans K, Walsh K, Jensen N, Setchell J. Uncertainty in low back pain care - insights from an ethnographic study. Disabil Rehabil. 2023 Mar;45(5):784-795. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2022.2040615. Epub 2022 Feb 21. PMID: 35188845.

Costa N, Mescouto K, Dillon M, Olson R, Butler P, Forbes R, Setchell J. The ubiquity of uncertainty in low back pain care. Soc Sci Med. 2022 Nov;313:115422. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115422. Epub 2022 Oct 3. PMID: 36215924.

Costa N, Butler P, Dillon M, Mescouto K, Olson R, Forbes R, Setchell J. "I felt uncertain about my whole future"-a qualitative investigation of people's experiences of navigating uncertainty when seeking care for their low back pain. Pain. 2023 Jul 20. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002975. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37478013.

Gibson, B. E. (2016). Rehabilitation : a post critical approach. CRC Press.

Paul Christiaan Beenen, Dario Filiputti, Erna Rosenlund Meyer, Lidia Carballo-Costa, Patricia Maria Duarte de Almeida, Antonio Alves Lopes, Joost Egbertus Jacobus Lidwina van Wijchen & Alexandre Castro Caldas (2018) Epistemic beliefs as a determinant in evidence-based practice in physiotherapy – a Multi-Country (Europe) Cross-Sectional Online Survey Study, European Journal of Physiotherapy, 20:2, 85-91, DOI: 10.1080/21679169.2017.1374454

Rocca, E., Anjum, R.L. (2020). Complexity, Reductionism and the Biomedical Model. In: Anjum, R.L., Copeland, S., Rocca, E. (eds) Rethinking Causality, Complexity and Evidence for the Unique Patient. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41239-5_5

Connect with Jared and guests:

Jared on Instagram: @‌shoulder_physio

Jared on Twitter: @‌jaredpowell12

Nathalia on Twitter: @nathaliaccosta1

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