Personality Predictors and “Fuses” of Professional Burnout in Nuclear Medicine Physicians

Background. Nuclear medicine is one of the innovative areas of healthcare. This area is associated mainly with the diagnosis and treatment of oncological diseases, though its application is much wider. The use of nuclear medicine methods is promising, including in such areas as neurology and cardiology. The development of nuclear medicine requires not only the creation of a modern infrastructure in combination with expert-class equipment, but also the timely training of doctors whose competencies meet the requirements of the industry. At the same time, the duration and high cost of training for specialists in the field of nuclear medicine raises the issue of maintaining the professional health of the current staff and identifying conditions that prevent the development of burnout. One of the assumptions explaining susceptibility to professional deformations is the presence of a connection between the development of burnout symptoms and the personal characteristics of a specialist. Objective. An empirical study is aimed at defining the role of personality factors that provoke the development of burnout or protect nuclear medicine physicians. Study Participants. The study involved 122 employees of radiation diagnostics and radiation therapy departments of 23 institutions of the Russian Federation. A total of 122 respondents: 40 radiologists (33%), 19 radiologists (15%), 63 radiation therapists (52%), of which 35 were men (28.7%), and 87 were women (71.3%). Methods. Autobiographical questionnaire, “Diagnostics of professional burnout” by K. Maslakh, S. Jackson, adapted by N.E. Vodopyanova, E.S. Starchenkova, “Short portrait questionnaire of the Big Five” (B5-10) adapted by M.S. Egorova, O.V. Parshchikova, “Short questionnaire of the Dark Triad” adapted by M.S. Egorova, M.A. Sitnikova, O.V. Parshchikova. Results. High Friendliness and conscientiousness of doctors, their emotional stability are personal traits that protect them from burnout, while neuroticism, Machiavellianism, low benevolence and conscientiousness can be predictors of burnout. In addition, the expression of the “Extroversion” factor in physician-managers distinguishes them from ordinary doctors, while the reduction of personal achievements in the latter is significantly higher. Conclusions. Timely monitoring of burnout symptoms among staff will allow identifying risk groups for the development of professional deformations, and information about the personal profiles of doctors will help preventively respond to negative symptoms and create a targeted programme of psychological assistance to doctors.