Dear friends,
This week on The Nocturnists: Uncertainty in Medicine, we’re diving into one of the messiest aspects of medical practice: communication.
We’re calling this episode “Off Script” because, as you’ll hear, the moments that matter most often don’t follow a script. Whether it’s a telemedicine visit with an elderly patient deep in the Santa Cruz mountains, or a conversation about breast cancer risk that spirals into emotional confusion, we explore how uncertainty plays out not just in diagnoses and data, but in relationships.
This episode unfolds in two parts. First, we follow Jenny, a tele-emergency physician, as she tries to guide a patient through wound care and a high-stakes decision, all through a glitchy video call. Then we meet Heather, a doctor who becomes a patient, and finds herself overwhelmed by fear, grief, and confusing advice. What finally helps her move forward isn’t a new piece of medical information, but a new kind of conversation.
And finally, we head into the ICU, where Dr. Lekshmi Santhosh is on a mission to transform how clinicians talk about uncertainty with each other. Her work shows that naming what we don’t know actually makes care better and safer.
Warmly,
Emily and The Nocturnists Team
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