Personality profile of anaesthetists in a Department of Anaesthesiology
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Date
2017
Authors
Segal, Craig
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Abstract
Background: Personality assessment has potential implications in anaesthesiology for
recruitment into specialist programs, performance outcomes and identifying risk for
burnout or psychological distress. The personality traits of anaesthetists can
predispose them to occupational stress and burnout. Moreover, anaesthesiology is an
inherently stressful workplace. Different researchers have found personality types to
be prominent in subsets of doctors. The aim of this study was to describe the
personality profile of the anaesthetists working in a department of Anaesthesiology.
Methods: A descriptive, prospective, contextual study design was used. The Short
Temperament-Character Inventory (TCI-140) is a self administered personality
questionnaire and was used to describe the personality profile of anaesthetists.
Results: Anaesthetists in the sample had low Novelty Seeking (median 25%), average
Harm Avoidance (median 37%), average Reward Dependence (median 47%), high
Persistence (median 70%), high Self Directness (median 87%), high Cooperativeness
(median 73%) and average Self Transcendence (median 34%). Forty participants were
classified as extreme temperament personality types. One participant was an
immature personality type.
Conclusions: : Male anaesthetists scored as low Harm Avoidance compared to average
for female anaesthetists. There was no significant difference between anaesthetists
of different ages. Senior anaesthetists scored low for Harm Avoidance and Self
Transcendence compared to average for junior anaesthetists for those dimensions.
The personality profile of anaesthetists in this sample is similar to other studies and
reflects qualities required for the practice of anaesthesiology.
Description
A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the
Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the
Masters of Medicine in the branch of Anaesthesiology
Johannesburg 2017.