The colorectal surgeon’s personality may influence the rectal anastomotic decision

Aim. Colorectal surgeons regularly make the decision to anastomose, defunction or form an end colostomy when performing rectal surgery. This study aimed to define personality traits of colorectal surgeons and explore any influence of such traits on the decision to perform a rectal anastomosis. Me...

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Main Authors: Moug, Susan, Henderson, N., Tiernan, J., Bisset, C.N., Ferguson, Eamonn, Harji, D., Maxwell-Armstrong, C., MacDermid, E., Acheson, A.G., Steele, R.J.C., Fearnhead, N.S.
Format: Article
Published: Wiley 2018
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/52874/
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author Moug, Susan
Henderson, N.
Tiernan, J.
Bisset, C.N.
Ferguson, Eamonn
Harji, D.
Maxwell-Armstrong, C.
MacDermid, E.
Acheson, A.G.
Steele, R.J.C.
Fearnhead, N.S.
author_facet Moug, Susan
Henderson, N.
Tiernan, J.
Bisset, C.N.
Ferguson, Eamonn
Harji, D.
Maxwell-Armstrong, C.
MacDermid, E.
Acheson, A.G.
Steele, R.J.C.
Fearnhead, N.S.
author_sort Moug, Susan
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description Aim. Colorectal surgeons regularly make the decision to anastomose, defunction or form an end colostomy when performing rectal surgery. This study aimed to define personality traits of colorectal surgeons and explore any influence of such traits on the decision to perform a rectal anastomosis. Method. 50 attendees of The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland 2016 conference participated. After written consent, all underwent personality testing: alexithymia (inability to understand emotions); type of thinking process (intuitive versus rational) and personality traits (extraversion; agreeableness; openness; emotional stability; conscientiousness). Questions were answered regarding anastomotic decisions in various clinical scenarios and results analysed to reveal any influence of the surgeon’s personality on anastomotic decision. Results. Participants were: male (86%); consultants (84%); England based (68%). Alexithymia was low (4%) with 81% displaying intuitive thinking (reflex, fast). Participants scored higher in emotional stability (ability to remain calm) and conscientiousness (organised, methodical) compared to population norms. Personality traits influenced the next anastomotic decision if: surgeons had recently received criticism at a departmental audit meeting; operating with an anaesthetist that is not your regular one; or there had been no anastomotic leaks in their patients for >1 year. Conclusion. Colorectal surgeons have speciality relevant personalities that potentially influence the important decision to anastomose and could explain the variation in surgical practice across the U.K. Future work should explore these findings in other countries and any link of personality traits to patient related outcomes.
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spelling nottingham-528742020-05-04T19:41:09Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/52874/ The colorectal surgeon’s personality may influence the rectal anastomotic decision Moug, Susan Henderson, N. Tiernan, J. Bisset, C.N. Ferguson, Eamonn Harji, D. Maxwell-Armstrong, C. MacDermid, E. Acheson, A.G. Steele, R.J.C. Fearnhead, N.S. Aim. Colorectal surgeons regularly make the decision to anastomose, defunction or form an end colostomy when performing rectal surgery. This study aimed to define personality traits of colorectal surgeons and explore any influence of such traits on the decision to perform a rectal anastomosis. Method. 50 attendees of The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland 2016 conference participated. After written consent, all underwent personality testing: alexithymia (inability to understand emotions); type of thinking process (intuitive versus rational) and personality traits (extraversion; agreeableness; openness; emotional stability; conscientiousness). Questions were answered regarding anastomotic decisions in various clinical scenarios and results analysed to reveal any influence of the surgeon’s personality on anastomotic decision. Results. Participants were: male (86%); consultants (84%); England based (68%). Alexithymia was low (4%) with 81% displaying intuitive thinking (reflex, fast). Participants scored higher in emotional stability (ability to remain calm) and conscientiousness (organised, methodical) compared to population norms. Personality traits influenced the next anastomotic decision if: surgeons had recently received criticism at a departmental audit meeting; operating with an anaesthetist that is not your regular one; or there had been no anastomotic leaks in their patients for >1 year. Conclusion. Colorectal surgeons have speciality relevant personalities that potentially influence the important decision to anastomose and could explain the variation in surgical practice across the U.K. Future work should explore these findings in other countries and any link of personality traits to patient related outcomes. Wiley 2018-06-14 Article PeerReviewed Moug, Susan, Henderson, N., Tiernan, J., Bisset, C.N., Ferguson, Eamonn, Harji, D., Maxwell-Armstrong, C., MacDermid, E., Acheson, A.G., Steele, R.J.C. and Fearnhead, N.S. (2018) The colorectal surgeon’s personality may influence the rectal anastomotic decision. Colorectal Disease . ISSN 1463-1318 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/codi.14293 doi:10.1111/codi.14293 doi:10.1111/codi.14293
spellingShingle Moug, Susan
Henderson, N.
Tiernan, J.
Bisset, C.N.
Ferguson, Eamonn
Harji, D.
Maxwell-Armstrong, C.
MacDermid, E.
Acheson, A.G.
Steele, R.J.C.
Fearnhead, N.S.
The colorectal surgeon’s personality may influence the rectal anastomotic decision
title The colorectal surgeon’s personality may influence the rectal anastomotic decision
title_full The colorectal surgeon’s personality may influence the rectal anastomotic decision
title_fullStr The colorectal surgeon’s personality may influence the rectal anastomotic decision
title_full_unstemmed The colorectal surgeon’s personality may influence the rectal anastomotic decision
title_short The colorectal surgeon’s personality may influence the rectal anastomotic decision
title_sort colorectal surgeon’s personality may influence the rectal anastomotic decision
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/52874/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/52874/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/52874/