Demographic and practice characteristics of pathologists who enjoy breast tissue interpretation

Abstract

Summary Physician attributes, job satisfaction and confidence in clinical skills are associated with enhanced performance and better patient outcomes. We surveyed 252 pathologists to evaluate associations between enjoyment of breast pathology, demographic/clinical characteristics and diagnostic performance. Diagnostic performance was determined by agreement with patient cases previously reviewed by a panel of experienced pathologists. Eighty-three percent of study participants reported enjoying breast pathology. Pathologists who enjoy breast interpretation were more likely to review ≥10 cases/week (p=0.003), report breast interpretation expertise (p=0.013), and high levels of confidence interpreting breast pathology (p<0.001). These pathologists were less likely to report that the field was challenging (p<0.001) and that breast cases make them more nervous than other types of pathology (p<0.001). Enjoyment was not associated with diagnostic performance. Millions of women undergo breast biopsy annually, thus it is reassuring that although nearly a fifth of practicing pathologists who interpret breast tissue report not enjoying the field, precision is not impacted.

Characteristics and diagnostic performance of pathologists who enjoy interpreting melanocytic lesions

“…A similar study on enjoyment of breast pathology interpretation also found no association with diagnostic performance but did similarly identify number of cases interpreted per week as statistically significantly associated with enjoyment [21]. It is likely that indicators of caseload volume and training or experience have an impact on job satisfaction and diagnostic accuracy owing to the resulting increase in skill and confidence.…”