Healthcare Provider Uncertainty and Communicative Management Strategies

Uncertainty exists ubiquitously within provider-patient interactions. Healthcare providers (HCPs) often face uncertainty during patient-provider interactions, for reasons including inconclusive test results, ambiguous communication, and lacking the resources to make diagnoses. When healthcare providers experience uncertainty, their behavior and communication can be negatively impacted. For example, prior research suggests when HCPs experience uncertainty, they may engage in authoritative, prejudiced and assumption-ridden behavior towards patients (Dietta & Rand, 2007; Drewniak et al., 2017: Portnoy et al., 2013; Poteat et al., 2013). To date, research on HCP uncertainty has been limited to specific health conditions and contexts such as cancer, vascular anomalies, and asthma patients (Dietta & Rand, 2007; Kerr & Sisk, 2021). Additionally, studies that have explored uncertainty mainly focused on medical uncertainty, leaving relational uncertainty largely undefined and vaguely understood. This paper defines both medical and relational uncertainty and answers a call for the exploration of how healthcare providers manage uncertainty in broad contexts (Kerr et al., 2013). Specifically, this study explored the types of patient-provider interactions that cause uncertainty and how providers communicatively and behaviorally manage these types of uncertainty. Results from semi-structure interviews (N=16) with Montana-based healthcare providers suggest that providers can experience medical uncertainty due to ambiguous medical test results and medical examinations, a lack of patient health information, whereas relational uncertainty often arises due to assumptions providers make based on patient demographics. Relational and medical uncertainty are managed differently. Providers used action-oriented communication, such as scheduling a follow up to alleviate medical uncertainty (both theirs and the patient’s). To manage relational uncertainty, providers used connection-oriented communication, such as listening to patients’ story. Implications of this study include conceptualizations of the different types of uncertainty HCPs may experience and insight into effective uncertainty management strategies

Food from Thought: A Literature Review Supporting the Development of an Interdisciplinary Experiential Learning Program in the University of Minnesota Dining Halls

The research presented in this literature review discusses the benefits and barriers to implementing an interdisciplinary experiential learning program within the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities campus dining halls for undergraduate students enrolled in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences. Evidence highlighting the educational advantages of this type of programming reveals improved creative thinking, holistic problem solving, and student investment in course materials. Furthermore, allowing students to collaborate to develop healthy recipes for the dining hall utilizes student understanding of peer preferences and habits to improve student nutrition. While this innovative course design also aligns closely with college and university goals and missions, barriers to implementing this program including the current dining contract with Aramark and obtaining necessary college administrative and faculty approval still exist

'C' is for Commercial Collaboration:Enterprise and Structure in the 'Middle Market' of Counterfeit Alcohol Distribution

This article utilising the work of Pearson and Hobbs [1] defines the middle market in counterfeit alcohol. Drugs markets have a resemblance to counterfeit alcohol markets in as much that they share the illicit nature of the product and the need to distribute the product at the ‘street’ level. Drawing on two case studies taken from a European regulator the article details the dynamics of the market, the enterprise actions of the actors and how law enforcement responses can, in certain circumstances, make the task of the distributors easier. The traditional notions of organised crime are challenged and organisation of counterfeit alcohol markets is viewed as being reliant upon those who have legitimate access to the market and are able to develop networks of commercial collaborators who by their position in the legitimate market are able to conceal their illicit actions

Lawyers and the Proceeds of Crime: The Facilitation of Money Laundering and its Control:An overview and summary of findings

This summary document provides an overview of the key findings and conclusions from 'Lawyers and the Proceeds of Crime: The Facilitation of Money Laundering and its Control', published by Routledge in April 2020. 'Lawyers and the Proceeds of Crime' examines the role played by legal professionals in the facilitation of money laundering and considers how this is (and should be) dealt with through criminal justice and regulatory processes