title: Demographic and practice characteristics of pathologists who enjoy breast tissue interpretation.
abstract: Physician attributes, job satisfaction and confidence in clinical skills are associated with enhanced performance and better patient outcomes. We surveyed 252 pathologists to evaluate associations between enjoyment of breast pathology, demographic/clinical characteristics and diagnostic performance. Diagnostic performance was determined by comparing pathologist assessments of a set of 60 cases with consensus assessments of the same cases made by a panel of experienced pathologists. Eighty-three percent of study participants reported enjoying breast pathology. Pathologists who enjoy breast interpretation were more likely to review ≥10 cases/week (p = 0.003), report breast interpretation expertise (p = 0.013) and have high levels of confidence interpreting breast pathology (p < 0.001). These pathologists were less likely to report that the field was challenging (p < 0.001) and that breast cases make them more nervous than other types of pathology (p < 0.001). Enjoyment was not associated with diagnostic performance. Millions of women undergo breast biopsy annually, thus it is reassuring that although nearly a fifth of practicing pathologists who interpret breast tissue report not enjoying the field, precision is not impacted.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Washington, 325 Ninth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104, USA. Electronic address: nvoster@uw.edu.
authors.forename: Natalia V
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Oster
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, University of Vermont Burlington, 1 South Prospect Street, Burlington, VT 05401, USA.
authors.forename: Berta M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Geller
authors.affiliation: Departments of Family Medicine and Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd, Portland, OR 97239, USA.
authors.forename: Patricia A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Carney
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Washington, 325 Ninth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Reisch
authors.affiliation: Department of Community & Family Medicine, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, and The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, One Medical Center Drive, HB7937, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA.
authors.forename: Tracy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Onega
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Vermont, 89 Beaumont Avenue, Burlington, VT 05405, USA.
authors.forename: Donald L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Weaver
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Washington, 325 Ninth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104, USA.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Frederick
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Washington, 325 Ninth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104, USA.
authors.forename: Joann G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Elmore
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001940:Breast / Q000473:pathology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology*; D002285:Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating / Q000473:pathology*; D002983:Clinical Competence; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010336:Pathology; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'
keywords: Breast; Pathology; Physician characteristics