Vagueness is the quality of not being clearly expressed, understood, decided, or created. In general, it can help to receive a good outcome in situations when a patient is in bad condition, and vaguely explaining their state will save them from anxiety and stress. Vagueness can also be used in simplifying the instructions to ensure the patients follow them. For example, the recent case of wearing facial masks and washing hands are vague yet simple steps in avoiding COVID-19 contamination. However, using vague language in medical documentation can have serious consequences. To sum up, this approach is helpful in communication to not evoke unnecessary emotions in patients but is inappropriate for documents.
Ambiguity means that something has more than one aspect, can be controversial, and therefore possibly causes confusion, tangles up, and sometimes misleads. Applying ambiguity in nursing practice can prevent patients from feeling anxious when more information is needed. For example, when a severe condition is under suspicion, ambiguity can be used to not alert the patient before finding concrete evidence. A crucial thing for nurses is to build comfort with the feeling of ambiguity and prevent any negative consequences, which have to be recognized and regulated before causing damage.
Generality is when the information contains no details and often little meaning that does not adequately explain the issue, problem, story, or theme. This theory applies to any situation where a nurse has to communicate complex ideas without confusing the patient. However, such a type of communication can be unclear and raise more questions. Thus, it has to be approached carefully, depending on the patient and their features.