# Uncertain, unknown and no information

**URL:** https://discourse.openehr.org/t/uncertain-unknown-and-no-information/1473
**Category:** Clinical
**Created:** [15 April 2021 17:14 UTC](https://discourse.openehr.org/t/uncertain-unknown-and-no-information/1473 "2021-04-15T17:14:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 3

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### Author: ![heather.leslie](https://discourse.openehr.org/user_avatar/discourse.openehr.org/heather.leslie/32/1980_2.png) [@heather.leslie](https://discourse.openehr.org/u/heather.leslie)
#### Post date: [16 April 2021 01:08 UTC](https://discourse.openehr.org/t/uncertain-unknown-and-no-information/1473/3 "2021-04-16T01:08:24Z")

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@bna What does ‘uncertain’ mean? In what context - data presence/absence or clinical certainty. Serious question. We probably all use it differently unless it’s attached to a value set.

In the archetype modelling we only use Boolean data types when we are sure there is only a Yes/No or True/false clinical answer. Then the null flavours are related to whether data is available or not.

In clinical modelling reality we _hardly ever_ use Booleans, because there are hardly any clinical situations where there is a clear black and white answer. Too often there are subtle shades of grey, which I suspect might be one of the reasons driving your request for ‘uncertain’. In those ‘grey’ situations in archetypes, we tend to use the pattern of CODED\_TEXT with a codable value set ‘Present/Absent/Indeterminate’. In this context ‘indeterminate’ means ‘we looked but we couldn’t tell’ - and that could be because of inexperience or simply that it could not be discerned even by the most experienced clinician, but it is still a very important and valid clinical finding that needs to be recorded in its own right, not as a RM ‘flavour’.

Just throwing this into the mix and stirring the soup 😖

Cheers

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