Five-factor personality model of primary care physician as an element of medical position profiling: a cohort study

BACKGROUND: Today, the effective recruitment and selection of personnel based on the position profile is actively studied, including the personality traits of a healthcare provider. In non-medical (aviation or aerospace) sectors requiring high skills, the importance of personality analysis has already been recognized, which is confirmed by the use of the five-factor personality model as a tool for selecting candidates and interns by human resources departments. To improve the recruitment and selection process for healthcare providers, it is required to study the personality traits of doctors and their impact on professional medical activities.

AIM: To study the five-factor personality model of primary care physicians as an element of medical position profiling in the State Healthcare Institution Outpatient Clinic No. 2.

METHODS: The personality traits of primary care physicians were studied using a five-factor personality questionnaire. The study included healthcare providers who met the eligibility, inclusion and exclusion criteria of the State Healthcare Institution Outpatient Clinic No. 2 (Volgograd). The online questionnaire on the Yandex Forms platform included 75 questions. The responses were analyzed using specific keys. The degree of each Big Five factor was assessed. Statistical processing was performed using descriptive statistics methods and a trial version of the StatGraphics software suite.

RESULTS: The survey showed the predominance of attachment/separation and control/authenticity factors with the highest scores of 53.69 ± 2.59 (95% CI) and 54.46 ± 2.94 (95% CI), respectively. The expressiveness/pragmatism factor followed them with the score of 47.48 ± 2.49 (95% CI). Emotivity/self-control and extraversion/introversion showed lower scores of 43.46 ± 3.07 (95% CI) and 44.28 ± 3.18 (95% CI), respectively.

CONCLUSION: The study indicates the predominance of attachment/separation and control/authenticity factors, indicating high responsibility, desire for personal growth, kindness, and sociability. The five-factor personality analysis has proven its effectiveness and convenience as a tool for determining the personality traits of healthcare providers.