Journal of Emergency Medicine & Critical Care

Review Article

Characteristics of the Contemporary Intensivist: A Qualitative Study

Dennis D1*, Knott C2, Khanna R3 and van Heerden PV4

1Department of Intensive Care and Physiotherapy Department, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Western Australia; Curtin University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Perth, Western Australia
2Department of Intensive Care, Bendigo Health, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia; Monash Rural Health Bendigo, Monash University, Victoria, Australia; Rural Clinical School, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Department of Intensive Care, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
3Phoenix Australia, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Division of Mental Health, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
4Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Hadassah Medical Center and Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
*Address for Correspondence: Dennis D, Intensive Care Unit, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Australia; Senior Lecturer, Curtin University, Perth, Australia; E-mail: Diane.Dennis@health.wa.gov.au
Submission: 10 June 2022
Accepted: 16 July 2022
Published: 23 July 2022
Copyright: © 2022 Dennis D, et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Background: Intensive care professionals work together within a high-acuity high-stress environment and develop unique clinical and human skill sets within the specialty. The manner in which medical leadership acts, responds, and is understood by those around them is an important component of optimising healthcare. The aim of this study was to explore, qualify and define the self-perceived attributes of senior doctors working in intensive care (Intensivists), and construct ‘Intensivist personas’ that might provide useful insight for the entire healthcare team.
Methods: Using a prospective qualitative design, this study involved face-to-face interviews with 19 Intensivists who each had more than four year’s clinical experience. Participants were asked their perceptions of the typical personality traits of a ‘flourishing’ Intensivist; and how they felt they were viewed by others outside their specialty. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and attributes were coded using a thematic framework analysis of each transcript using NVivo software. Personas that might represent the contemporary Intensivist were then constructed based on the themes that emerged.
Results: More than 700 pages of coded data were extracted from the transcripts. Six personas were built according to how Intensivists saw themselves: the Fixer; the Retriever; the Diplomat; the Negotiator; the Pragmatist; and the Duck. An additional three personas were created relating to how they perceived they were viewed by others’: the Superhero; the Naysayer; and the Dictator.
Conclusion: This study describes the self-perceived personality traits of modern-day Intensivists and in doing so, adds to the scarce qualitative literature available. Understanding these attributes is important for all who work in intensive care, including nurses who are an integral part of healthcare service delivery.