Perfectionism in the anesthesiological environment

Abstract

Abstract Background Perfectionism today is understood as an individual's psychological conviction that the ideal can and should be achieved, and the imperfect result of work (physical, intellectual, etc.), in their opinion, has no right to exist. The purpose of the study Our goal was to investigate levels and types of perfectionism among anesthesiology interns in comparison with the indicators of practicing anesthesiologists. Materials and methods An anonymous survey of 92 anesthesiology interns and 124 practicing anesthesiologists was conducted according to the Big-Three Perfectionism Scale (BTPS). Results The mean general level of perfectionism was average, with the total BTPS score of 124,38 ± 14,47 out of 225 in interns and 105,97 ± 10,31 in practicing anesthesiologists (p < 0,05). Both interns and practicing doctors leaned toward rigid perfectionism (mean score 32,32 ± 3,32 out of 50 in interns and 33,33 ± 3,23—in practicing doctors, p < 0,05) and self-critical perfectionism, with the average score of 52,08 ± 4,37 out of 90 in interns and 42,87 ± 4,76 in postgraduates (p < 0,05). Narcissistic perfectionism is the factor with the least relative score in both groups (39,99 ± 7,61 out of 85 in interns and 29,77 ± 4,20 in practicing doctors, p < 0,05). Conclusions Neither anesthesiology interns nor practicing anesthesiologists in general exhibited high levels of perfectionism. In both groups there was a moderate leaning towards rigid and self-critical perfectionism, which indicates a tendency for the individuals to set high standards for themselves and base their own self-worth on meeting these standards. In interns, the general perfectionism levels were significantly higher than in practicing doctors. Also the self-critical type was more prominent among interns. This might indicate a sense of pressure to meet unrealistic outside expectations and an impostor syndrome which is common for the people at the start of their careers, but it’s also a significant risk factor for future burnout.