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Uncertainty Among Acute Care Surgery Providers Does Not Change with Experience
Connecticut Medicine
|May 18, 2018
Summary
Acute care surgeons
Area of Science:
- Surgery
- Medical Psychology
Background:
- Acute care surgery (ACS) is inherently unpredictable and stressful.
- Surgeons in ACS may be drawn to this environment due to inherent personality traits.
- The Physician Reaction to Uncertainty (PRU) scale assesses surgeon stress related to uncertainty.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the hypothesis that ACS providers are comfortable with uncertainty.
- To investigate if comfort with uncertainty increases with surgical experience.
- To assess surgeon stress and discomfort with uncertainty using the PRU scale.
Main Methods:
- An online survey was distributed to Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST) members.
- The survey included demographic questions and the validated Physician Reaction to Uncertainty (PRU) scale.
- 424 completed surveys were analyzed to assess discomfort with uncertainty.
Main Results:
- Overall discomfort with uncertainty did not significantly vary by gender, experience, age, or practice location.
- Increased surgical experience correlated with decreased reluctance to disclose uncertainty to patients (P = .03).
- A trend indicated decreased anxiety about outcomes with increased experience (P=.09).
Conclusions:
- Discomfort with uncertainty among ACS providers appears to be a stable personality trait.
- This persistent discomfort may contribute to occupational stress in acute care surgery.
- Further research comparing surgical specialties and longitudinal studies are recommended.
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