Navigating uncertainty in low back pain care through an ethic of openness: Learnings from a post-critical analysis.

Abstract

Theoretical and practical guidance on how to navigate uncertainties in healthcare are scarce. Here, we draw from Gibson's ethic of openness to explore clinicians' experiences navigating uncertainty with individuals who experience low back pain (LBP) and provide guidance on avenues for navigating uncertainty in LBP and healthcare more broadly. Our analysis suggests that clinicians practice within different philosophical commitments when providing care for individuals with LBP, with some of them aligning with a (post)positivist approach with pre-determined endpoints and others an ethic of openness, with no fixed endpoints and consideration of multiple options and perspectives. Based on our analysis, an ethic of openness may help to surface these philosophical commitments, creating space for possibilities other than denying uncertainty and oversimplifying (evidence-based) practice. We argue that an ethic of openness may assist clinicians to navigate uncertainty in fruitful ways - embracing uncertainty, engaging in reflexivity and creativity, moving clinicians to directions that are likely to best meet the needs of patients.