The following is a summary of “Grit personality of physicians and achievement of treatment goals in patients with system lupus erythematosus,” published in the June 2023 issue of Rheumatology by Sada, et al.

For a study, researchers sought to analyze the relationship between the personality trait of grit in attending physicians and the achievement of treatment goals in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Specifically, they aimed to assess whether the consistency of interest and perseverance of effort shown by physicians influenced the attainment of a lupus low disease activity state (LLDAS) in patients with SLE.

The cross-sectional study was conducted at five referral hospitals. The main focus was on measuring the “consistency of interest” and “perseverance of effort” of attending physicians using the Short Grit Scale. The main outcome of interest was the achievement of LLDAS in patients with SLE. The relation between the grit scores of physicians and the attainment of LLDAS was analyzed using generalized estimating equation (GEE) logistic regression, with cluster robust variance estimation and adjustment for confounding factors.

A total of 37 physicians participated in the study, with median scores (interquartile range) of 3.1 (2.9-3.6) for total grit, 3.3 (2.8-3.8) for consistency, and 3.3 (3.0-3.5) for perseverance. Among the 386 patients included, 154 (40%) had achieved LLDAS. The GEE logistic regression analysis revealed that physicians’ lower consistency scores (≤2.75) were independently associated with the achievement of LLDAS. Furthermore, patients who achieved LLDAS had significantly higher scores on the question related to changing goals.

The study suggested that the ability of attending physicians to maintain consistency in treatment goals may impact the achievement of LLDAS in patients with SLE. Difficulties in changing treatment goals exhibited by physicians were associated with lower rates of LLDAS attainment in patients. The findings highlighted the potential influence of physicians’ grit on patient outcomes in SLE and emphasized the importance of considering personality characteristics in medical practice.

Source: academic.oup.com/rheumatology/article-abstract/62/6/2154/6764578?redirectedFrom=fulltext