背景：突發性感覺神經性聽力喪失，主要發生於40～60歲的中年人，病因不明亦無特定明確治療方式，難以預期療效；疾病症狀、診斷及治療型態與Mishel所提可能引發不確定感之刺激因子相似。此不確定感不僅阻礙訊息溝通，更影響病人於治療過程中的自我調適能力。目的：瞭解突發性聽力喪失病人之疾病不確定感情形及其影響因素。方法：採橫斷式、描述性相關之研究設計，研究對象為60位初診斷突發性感覺神經性聽力喪失的住院病人。使用結構式問卷「中文版疾病不確定感量表」進行資料收集。結果：（1）突發性聽力喪失病人疾病不確定感平均高達71.75分（35分～99分）。（2）不確定感得分僅受到不同程度「自覺疾病瞭解程度」的影響（p<.01）。（3）教育年限、性別、職業、宗教、自覺疾病嚴重度、自覺疾病瞭解程度、症狀自我控制程度等因子，可解釋25%疾病不確定感之變異量（p<.05）；「自覺疾病瞭解程度」為疾病不確定感重要的預測因子（p<.01）。結論／實務應用：建議未來照護可著重增加病人疾病瞭解程度，以期降低突發性聽力喪失病人之疾病不確定感。

Background: Sudden sensorineural hearing loss occurs mainly in individuals between 40 and 60 years of age. Most sudden hearing loss cases of nonspecific cause lack well-defined treatments and have no predictable progress. Sudden hearing loss symptoms, diagnoses and illness patterns resemble factors that Mishel' Theory of Uncertainty in Illness identify as potential causes of uncertainty. Uncertainty may block communication and affect a patient' ability to adapt to his or her condition and accept treatment.Purpose: This study describes level of uncertainty in illness and explores related factors among patients with sudden hearing loss.Methods: The authors employed a cross-sectional study design and recruited 60 patients with an initial diagnosis of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Data collected using a structured questionnaire included participant demographics and the Chinese version of the Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale (MUIS).Results: Results showed: (1) Illness uncertainty in participants was high (M = 71.75, SD = 12.93); (2) Perceived understanding of illness was the only variable significantly related to illness uncertainty (p < .01); and (3) Education, gender, type of occupation, religious belief, perceived illness severity, perceived illness understanding and perceived self-control over symptoms explained 25% of illness uncertainty variance. "Perceived understanding of illness" was identified as a significant predictor of illness uncertainty (p<.01).Conclusions / Implications for practice: Increasing illness understanding should be a focus of nursing care for sudden hearing loss patients in order to decrease patient illness uncertainty.