In the article “Recognizing the need for information” (Anonymous, 2004), characteristics of information were described. One of the characteristics was uncertainty.  The author’s purpose of using uncertainty was that information seeking answers questions (Anonymous, 2004). However, in the world of a practicing nurse, regardless of their role, finding new information often make things more unclear leading to uncertainty.  Frequently, in the search to make things more clear, the nurse has more questions than when he or she started. What was considered to be true yesterday is not necessarily true today. 
	A second concept raised was that of ambiguity (Anonymous, 2004). How often is the practicing nurse more confused after reading the reams of available information? So many new questions arise when one takes themselves beyond basic information when trying to get a more in depth understanding. The more one learns the more one learns that they do not know. It is these ambiguous situations that help improve nursing practice. If no one ever asked a question and sought deeper information, nurses would still be practicing as they did back in the time of Florence Nightingale.
Uncertainty and ambiguity are usually considered negative terms. In today’s nursing practice, ambiguity and uncertainty can be very positive. Skiba (2005) describes the current nursing environment as an “evidence based world” (p.310). Uncertainty and ambiguity cause nurses to question current practices and seek more information as they strive for their practice to be more evidence based.