Personality profiles of Australian anaesthetists

Identification of personality traits in anaesthetists has potential implica tions for selection of trainees, assessment of coping strategies during tim es of stress and may have a role in the analysis of critical incidents. A 2 4 question postal questionnaire based on the Cattell 16PF inventory was sen t to specialist anaesthetists in Australia. One hundred and sixty-seven rep lies were received (33% response rate). Personality traits did not differ w hen the anaesthetists were grouped for age, number of years qualified and c ountry of qualification. City practitioners rated themselves more inquisifi ve than country practitioners did (P=0.052). Female anaesthetists self-repo rted they were calm (P=0.02), patient (P=0.02) and tolerant (P=0.02) more o ften than their male counterparts, whilst more males reported themselves as highly conscientious (P=0.01), Although some traits were consistent, perso nality profiles showed significant heterogeneity. Further examination of ho w personality and coping mechanisms interact may be central to the manageme nt of stress and critical incident generation.