Personality, gender and medico-legal matters in medical practice

The aim of this paper was to explore the relationship between the personality traits of Australian General Practitioners (GPs) and their gender, work practice arrangements, and history of medico-legal matters.

A cross-sectional self report survey was mailed to 1239 GPs. There were 566 respondents (45.7% response rate to survey). The survey assessed personality traits (using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire), demographic and practice information, and history of medico-legal matters with any medical defence organization. The number and type of medico-legal matters was also extracted from the UNITED Medical Protection database.

Male respondents had significantly higher psychoticism scores than females (p<0.001), and females had significantly higher neuroticism scores than males (p<0.01), as in community samples. However, for GPs who worked more than 48 hours per week, there were no gender differences in personality trait scores. Solo practitioners and non-solo practitioners did not differ on personality scores. Proceduralists and non-proceduralists did not differ on personality scores. However, a higher proportion of proceduralists experienced a medico-legal matter than non-proceduralists (p<0.001). There was a positive correlation between extraversion scores and doctors who attended peer review (p<0.001). There was no difference in the numbers of medico-legal matters for doctors who attended peer review. Males who self reported a medico-legal matter had higher neuroticism scores than the males who did not report medico-legal matters. This was not the case for females. For males, this pattern was not replicated when considering data from UNITED.

The known demographic and practice factors that differ for doctors having a medico-legal matter are replicated here--being male, a proceduralist and working longer hours. There is not a consistent pattern regarding personality traits and medico-legal matters.