Survey Evaluating the Prevalence and the Severity of Feelings of Self-doubt in European Anesthesiologists

Plain-language summary

Impostor syndrome is a form of erroneous self-assessment that is defined as the inability to believe that one's success is earnt and that positive outcomes are the result of one's skills. The syndrome has been described and studied in an array of different populations including the healthcare setting and academic faculty members working in a competitive environment. A scoping review of the imposter syndrome in physicians and physicians in training concluded that low self-esteem, gender, and institutional culture are linked to high rates of imposter syndrome. The fact that this syndrome has been linked to higher rates of burnout is more worrisome. Moreover, this specific syndrome might prevent physicians from acting in certain situations. Even though Impostor syndrome has been described in doctors across a wide range of specialties, it has yet to be specifically investigated within anesthesiology. We hypothesize that imposter syndrome prevalence will be high in this population due to core attributes of the profession itself. With this study, the prevalence and severity of imposter syndrome in the European anesthesia profession will be investigated by using the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS) scale, which will be completed by anesthesiologists and anesthesiology residents members of the European Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care. In parallel, key demographics that are linked to increased severity of the imposter syndrome will also be investigated.

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