Teamcast S5 Ep12 Working with Irreducible Uncertainty
Sep 22, 2025
Emergency physician Andrew Petrosoniak and acute care surgeon Eric Benoit dive into the complexities of making decisions under high-pressure medical scenarios. They explore the critical balance between action and certainty, emphasizing that sometimes, swift decisions can buy time where absolute certainty is unattainable. Both guests reflect on their personal journeys with uncertainty and stress the importance of teaching adaptability over rigid rules. Listeners gain fresh insights into debriefing decision-making processes to foster growth and learning in the medical field.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Buy Time, Not Certainty
- Eric Benoit and Andrew Petrosoniak argue you cannot eliminate all uncertainty in time-critical care.
- The practical goal is to take actions that buy time and expand options rather than achieve perfect certainty.
Act To Create Maneuvering Room
- When facing unknown causes of instability, perform immediate interventions that buy incremental time.
- Use simple measures (IV access, blood, decompression) to create maneuvering room for diagnosis and definitive care.
Get Comfortable With Uncertainty
- Uncertainty is the environment clinicians live in, not an enemy to fully eradicate.
- Learn to be comfortable operating within uncertainty and steer into that discomfort productively.
