Comparison of temperament and character profiles of anesthesiologists and surgeons: a preliminary study.
BACKGROUND
Given the high levels of stress in anesthesiologists and also their close working liaison with surgeons, it may be worthwhile to compare the personality profiles of these two groups of professionals.


OBJECTIVE
To compare the personality profiles of surgeons and anesthesiologists, using a well-standardized and validated instrument.


METHODS
Survey (cross-sectional) on surgeons and anesthesiologists working in several medical institutes in India.


METHODS
The self-report Temperament and Character Inventory, 125-item version (TCI-125) was mailed out to an incidental sample of surgeons and anesthesiologists working in medical institutes in India. Of the 200 questionnaires sent (100 to anesthesiologists and surgeons each), 93 completed responses were returned (46 anesthesiologists, 47 surgeons; return rate 46.5%).


METHODS
Student's unpaired 't' test; P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.


RESULTS
The mean scores of anesthesiologists vis-a-vis surgeons on the various temperament dimensions were Novelty seeking: 8.6 vs. 9.2; Harm avoidance: 7.3 vs. 8.1; Reward dependence: 8.1 vs. 8.0; and Persistence: 3.0 vs. 3.1, respectively. Similar scores for the character dimensions were Self-directedness: 16.9 vs. 15.9; Cooperativeness: 17.5 vs. 16.5; and Self-transcendence: 7.0 vs. 6.7, respectively. There was no significant difference between the surgeons and anesthesiologists on any of the temperament and character variables of personality chosen for the study.


CONCLUSIONS
Personality measures did not differ significantly between surgeons and anesthesiologists in this preliminary investigation. If replicated on a larger and more representative sample, the findings have clinical relevance to improve the working relationship between these two groups of closely working professionals.
Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh, India. db_sm@satyam.net.in
S
S
Mitra
P K
PK
Sinha
K K
KK
Gombar
D
D
Basu
D000328:Adult; D000776:Anesthesiology; D002605:Character; D005260:Female; D013502:General Surgery; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012649:Self Concept; D012647:Self-Assessment; D013694:Temperament