Perceptions of Uncertainty in Medical Care Among Non-medical Professionals and Nurses in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Internet-Based Preliminary Survey

Naomi Akiyama; Shihoko Kajiwara; Ryuji Uozumi; Tomoya Akiyama; Kenshi Hayashida; Jasmine Sim; Mie Morikawa

doi:10.7759/cureus.55418

Perceptions of Uncertainty in Medical Care Among Non-medical Professionals and Nurses in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Internet-Based Preliminary Survey

Cureus. 2024 Mar 2;16(3):e55418. doi: 10.7759/cureus.55418. eCollection 2024 Mar.

Authors

Naomi Akiyama¹, Shihoko Kajiwara², Ryuji Uozumi³, Tomoya Akiyama⁴, Kenshi Hayashida⁵, Jasmine Sim⁶, Mie Morikawa⁷

Affiliations

¹ School of Nursing, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, JPN.
² School of Nursing, Gifu University of Health Sciences, Gifu, JPN.
³ Department of Industrial Engineering and Economics, School of Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, JPN.
⁴ Center for Postgraduate Clinical Training and Career Development, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya, JPN.
⁵ Department of Medical Informatics and Management, University Hospital of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, JPN.
⁶ National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, SGP.
⁷ Department of Policy Studies, College of Policy Studies, Tsuda Unversity, Tokyo, JPN.

Abstract

Background: Medical care is impacted by uncertainty caused by various factors. The uncertainty that exists in medical care can cause patient distrust and lead to conflict. This study compared the tolerance of uncertainty in medical care between non-medical professionals and nurses.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional Internet-based survey. Participants included 2,100 individuals (600 nurses and 1,500 non-medical professionals; aged ≥ 20 years) from different parts of Japan. Of these, we excluded 70 participants who were classified as non-medical professionals but were registered nurses. Finally, we analyzed data from 2,030 participants (600 nurses and 1,430 non-medical professionals). Three registered nurses and nursing researchers developed an original questionnaire on tolerance of uncertainty in medical care. Data regarding participants' characteristics (age, sex, education level, marital status, having children, population size of the residential area, medical care usage, and occupation) were obtained. We performed a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare the data between non-medical professionals and nurses. Additionally, we employed a multiple regression model to investigate factors related to tolerance of uncertainty in medical care scores.

Results: A significant portion of participants (36.7%) were aged 40-50 years (n = 745). Most were women (n = 1,210, 59.6%), and a considerable percentage were medical care users (n = 1,309, 64.5%). Non-medical professionals were less tolerant of uncertainty than nurses, and uncertainty scores were associated with medical care usage, occupation, and population size of the residential area.

Conclusions: Our findings revealed variations in perceptions of uncertainty in medical care between non-medical professionals and medical care providers. To mitigate conflicts related to medical issues, medical care providers should enhance non-medical professionals' education regarding perceptions of uncertainty in medical care.

Keywords: citizen; medical care; nurse; tolerance; uncertainty.