Bruce Ian Reiner MD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Khan Mohammad Siddiqui MD, Abstract Co-Author: Partner, iVirtuoso, Inc, Baltimore, MD Medical Advisory Board, General Electric Company, Barrington, IL Research Consultant, Mercury Computer Systems, Inc, Chelmsford, MA

Eliot Lawrence Siegel MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

The objective of the study was to determine the relationship between personality, occupational stress, and computer literacy within the radiologist community.

A 3-part on-line survey was performed with 320 radiologist respondents. The three survey components included individual/practice demographics, the NEO Personality Profile (NEO), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Within the demographic questionnaire, radiologists were asked to provide a self-based computer literacy score on a scale of 1-5 (1 = illiterate, 3 = competent in basic skills, 5 = sophisticated). The NEO consisted of 60 questions to help assess personality factors along 5 major axes, while the PSS consisted of 14 questions that provide an objective measure of stress over the past month.

The single demographic factor found to correlate most with computer literacy was radiologist age (p < 0.001), with a mean age of 56.2 years for the lowest levels of computer literacy (categories 1 and 2), compared with a mean age of 48.3 years for the highest levels of computer literacy (categories 4 and 5). When correlating computer literacy with occupational stress, a negative correlation was observed (p = 0.001), with the mean PSS scores for computer illiterate, computer competent, and sophisticated computer users 31.7, 29.2, and 20.8 respectively. Computer knowledge was found to correlate with radiologist personality for 3 of the main personality factors including Openness (p < 0.001), Agreeableness (p = 0.019), and Conscientiousness (p = 0.015).

While stress and personality have a well established relationship to one another, they were also found to have a strong relationship to computer literacy within the radiologist community. Radiologists with lower levels of occupational stress and certain personality types (high levels of Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness) were found to be associated with higher levels of computer literacy.

Computer literacy has become an increasingly important prerequisite for successful radiology practice with the widespread adoption of PACS. A more thorough understanding of stress and personality must be emphasized and incorporated into radiologist education and training.

Reiner, B, Siddiqui, K, Siegel, E, Defining the Relationships between Computer Literacy, Occupational Stress, and Personality in the Radiologist Community.  Radiological Society of North America 2007 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, November 25 - November 30, 2007 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2007/5016384.html