Anxiety a positive factor?
Surprisingly, 70% of respondents reported feeling that surgical performance anxiety could have a positive impact on surgical performance, which the authors noted is consistent with some theories.
“This may be explained by the traditional bell-curve relationship between arousal and performance, which describes a dose-dependent relationship between performance and arousal until a ‘tipping point,’ after which performance declines,” the authors explained. “A heightened awareness secondary to anxiety may be beneficial, but at high doses, anxiety can negatively affect attentional control and cause somatic symptoms.”
They noted that “the challenge would be to reap the benefits of low-level stimulation without incurring possible adverse effects.”
Dr. Miller said that, in determining whether selection bias had a role in the results, a detailed analysis showed that “our respondents were not skewed to those with only high levels of trait anxiety.
“We also had a good spread of consultants versus trainees [about half and half], and different specialties, so we feel this is likely to be a representative sample,” he told this news organization.
That being said, the results underscore the need for increased awareness – and open discussion – of the issue of surgical performance anxiety.
“Within other professions, particularly the performing arts and sports, performance psychology is becoming an integral part of training and development,” Dr. Miller said. “We feel surgeons should be supported in a similar manner.
“Surgical performance anxiety is normal for surgeons at all levels and not something to be ashamed about,” Dr. Miller added. “Talk about it, acknowledge it, and be supportive to your colleagues.”
Many keep it to themselves in ‘prevailing culture of stoicism’
Commenting on the study, Carter C. Lebares, MD, an associate professor of surgery and director of the Center for Mindfulness in Surgery, department of surgery, University of California, San Francisco, said she was not surprised to see the high rates of performance anxiety among surgeons.
“As surgeons, no matter how hard we train or how thoroughly we prepare our intellectual understanding or the patient, the disease process, and the operation, there may be surprises, unforeseen challenges, or off days,” Dr. Lebares said.
“And whatever we encounter, we are managing these things directly under the scrutiny of others – people who can affect our reputation, operating privileges, and mental health. So, I am not surprised this is a prevalent and widely recognized issue.”
Dr. Lebares noted that the reluctance to share the anxiety is part of a “challenging and recognized conundrum in both medicine and surgery and is a matter of the prevailing culture of stoicism.
“We often are called to shoulder tremendous weight intraoperatively (having perseverance, self-confidence, or sustained focus), and in owning the weight of complications (which eventually we all will have),” she said.
“So, we do need to be strong and not complain, [but] we also need to be able to set that aside [when appropriate] and ask for help or allow others to shoulder the weight for a while, and this is not [yet] a common part of surgical culture.”
Dr. Lebares added that randomized, controlled trials have shown benefits of mindfulness interventions on burnout and anxiety.
“We have observed positive effects on mental noise, self-perception, conflict resolution, and resilience in surgical residents trained in mindfulness-based cognitive skills,” she said. “[Residents] report applying these skills in the OR, in their home lives, and in how they approach their training/education.”
The authors disclosed no relevant financial relationships. Dr. Lebares has developed mindfulness-based cognitive skills training for surgeons but receives no financial compensation for the activities.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.