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Cited by 35Patient-Provider Communication in HealthcareClinical Reasoning and Diagnostic SkillsEmpathy and Medical Education

Patient Attitudes toward Clinicians’ Communication of Diagnostic Uncertainty and Its Impact on Patient Trust

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Bontempo, Allyson C.·2023·SSM - Qualitative Research in Health
DOI 10.1016/j.ssmqr.2022.100214
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Abstract

Some evidence suggests that clinicians' discomfort with diagnostic uncertainty can lead to communication by clinicians that can be perceived by patients as dismissive of their symptoms. The latter has been documented extensively in prior work. A remedy may be a leveling of clinicians with patients via the transparent communication of their diagnostic uncertainty in the medical interaction. Thus, this paper sought to explore 1) patients' attitude toward clinicians' transparent communication of diagnostic uncertainty, and 2) whether clinicians' transparent communication of diagnostic uncertainty would influence their trust in them. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews with 20 U.S. patients with endometriosis as part of a larger interview study. All 20 participants reported that, upon reflecting on their diagnostic journey, they would have preferred having clinicians communicate their diagnostic uncertainty to them. They commented that such communication would have contributed positively toward their trust in them, particularly because of clinicians’ honesty. Participants detailed that they understand and do not expect clinicians to know everything or to be infallible. They also reported that such communication would have allowed for more informed patient decision-making regarding their care, such as whether to seek a second opinion. However, participants noted that communication of diagnostic uncertainty alone would not have been supportive; rather, such communication must be accompanied by further clinical action or responsiveness on the part of the clinician.

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  • Improving information transparency, such as providing easy access to medical information for patients, can bridge the information gap and encourage engagement.

    “In addition to strengthening the clinician-patient relationship, improving information transparency [368,369], such as providing easy access to medical information for patients [370], can bridge the information gap and encourage engagement.”

    From Toward Safer Diagnoses: A SEIPS-Based Narrative Review of Diagnostic Errors (2026) · cites this paper as [369]

    Section 3.4 reports that patients felt transparent communication of diagnostic uncertainty would help them make informed decisions about their care, supporting a narrower link between transparency and patient engagement. The paper does not establish that information transparency generally bridges an information gap; its findings concern conversations about diagnostic uncertainty with 20 patients with endometriosis. The easy-access example is attached to a different citation in the citing sentence. (LLM, conf=0.83)

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Research works printed but not linked: 39

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Authors
Bontempo, A. C.
Affiliations
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
Corresponding author
Bontempo, Allyson C.
ORCID
Bontempo, Allyson C.
Venue
SSM - Qualitative Research in Health
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2023-06
Volume
3
Pages
100214
ISSN
2667-3215 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.ssmqr.2022.100214
OpenAlex
W4312220404
Cited by
35
References
40
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 1
FWCI
6.03
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • SSM - Qualitative Research in Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Rutgers University Community Repository (Rutgers University) (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Patient-Provider Communication in Healthcare
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Family Practice › Clinical Reasoning and Diagnostic Skills
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Empathy and Medical Education
Keywords
diagnostic uncertainty, patient-clinician communication, patient trust, endometriosis, patient attitudes, second opinion, informed decision-making

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