Chronic stress indicated by hair cortisol concentration in anaesthesiologists and its relationship to work experience and emotional intelligence: A cross-sectional biomarker and survey study

Heat Stress and Its Impact on Corpus Luteum (CL) Function and Reproductive Efficiency in Mammals: A Critical Review

Heat stress is considered as one of the most crucial environmental stressors affecting reproductive efficiency in mammals through modulation of the function of Corpus Luteum (CL) that plays a vital role in progesterone production and pregnancy maintenance. Therefore, this detailed systematic review seeks to bring forward the interdisciplinary perspectives on the impact of heat stress exposure on CL function regarding hormonal shift, luteal phase distortion and fertility receptivity. High temperatures are shown to impose oxidative stress, change blood perfusion within the CL, signal transduction which converts the signal from the signaling molecule into an intracellular reaction and impaired luteal activity. This review incorporates various scientific studies on these effects to different mammalian species concerning the associated physiological mechanisms. Besides this, it also considers the overall impact in warm stressed population in livestock breeding in the agricultural system as well as their conservation from a general perspective. Some of the prevention and control measures for heat related reproductive problems are also covered here, addressing the importance of finding the impact on the CL in order to put in place these interventions. This review may be used to inform future developments that may improve the CL function with regards to heat stress and possible solutions to help mammals reproduced under climate change tender environment and even rising temperatures globally.

Emotional Intelligence in Medicine: An Investigation of the Significance for Physicians, Residents, and Medical Students - A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE

Physicians, residents, and medical students consistently report higher levels of stress, anxiety, depression, burnout, and suicide compared to the general population. Emotional intelligence is a trait 1 possesses that has been shown to have associations with aspects of mental health specifically in the medical field. It has also been studied in business literature demonstrating multiple performance benefits. The purpose of this review is to investigate the relationship of emotional intelligence and mental health and well-being, clinical performance, and academic success with physicians, residents, and medical students.

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted of studies investigating the associations of emotional intelligence on physicians, residents, or medical students between 2013 and 2023. Studies investigating the association of empathy within the study population were also included. Studies must have used a validated measure or reported a reliable method of measuring emotional intelligence or empathy.

RESULTS

Thirty-nine articles were included. The trait emotional intelligence questionnaire short form was the most frequently used assessment tool (28%). Mental health and well-being was the most common study outcome (67%). Twenty articles reported lower levels of burnout in those with higher emotional intelligence levels. (p < 0.05). Other protective associations of emotional intelligence included decreased levels of anxiety, stress, and depression (p < 0.05). Emotional intelligence was associated with multiple clinical performance metrics including patient satisfaction, perceived communication ratings, patient information recall, and improved decision making under operational stress (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Emotional intelligence has beneficial associations for physicians at all levels of training. Those entering with higher levels of emotional intelligence may be better suited to handle the psychological effects described within the healthcare field. Emotional intelligence can also be improved through training. Using emotional intelligence as part of a holistic screening process may help predict and enhance the success of doctors, residents, and medical students, which can contribute to improving the healthcare system.

Personality in anaesthesiologists, a systematic review of the literature

BACKGROUND

As a central part of their job, anaesthesiologists often have to perform demanding tasks under high-stakes conditions. Yet, some anaesthesiologists seem better able to deal with the demands of the profession than others.

OBJECTIVES

This review aims to answer the following questions. What are the necessary or desirable qualities of an anaesthesiologist? Which personality traits or characteristics have been found in anaesthesiologists? How does personality relate to job performance and work stress among anaesthesiologists?

DESIGN

Systematic review of studies that examined anaesthesiologists' personality or personality characteristics. We performed our synthesis in terms of the five-factor model of personality.

DATA SOURCES

The search was conducted in the PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science databases. Literature was included until December 2020.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

We included qualitative and quantitative studies that examined anaesthesiologists' personality; also, we included studies that focused on anaesthesiologists' stress, performance or mental health but only if these topics were examined from the perspective of personality.

RESULTS

We included 6 qualitative and 25 quantitative articles. Synthesis of the qualitative articles revealed two classes of desirable technical and nontechnical personality characteristics. Synthesis of the quantitative articles suggested that anaesthesiologists do not essentially differ from other medical specialists. Moreover, our synthesis revealed several personality traits that predict good performance, low stress and good mental health among anaesthesiologists: lower Neuroticism, higher Extraversion, higher Openness and higher Conscientiousness.

CONCLUSION

Those personality traits that predict performance, stress or mental health in anaesthesiologists, also predict performance, stress or mental health in other high demand/high stakes environments (both medical and nonmedical). The ideal anaesthesiologist would be lower on Neuroticism, higher on Extraversion and higher on Conscientiousness.