Review of emotional intelligence in health care: an introduction to emotional intelligence for surgeons

Sharp, Gary and Bourke, Lorna and Rickard, Matthew (2020) Review of emotional intelligence in health care: an introduction to emotional intelligence for surgeons. ANZ Journal of Surgery. ISSN 1445-1433

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Abstract

Background: The aim of this review is to explain the components of emotional intelligence (EI) and explore the benefits within today’s health care system with an emphasis on surgery. EI is a person’s ability to understand their own emotions and those of the individuals they interact with. Higher individual EI has multiple proposed benefits, such as reducing stress, burnout and increasing work satisfaction. The business world recognizes EI as beneficial in terms of performance and outcomes. Could surgeons benefit from being more cognisant of EI and methods of assessing and improving EI to reap the aforementioned benefits?
Methods: A search of Embase, Cochrane and Medline databases using the following search terms; emotional intelligen*, surg*, medic* yielded 95 articles. After review of all the literature 39 remaining articles and five text books were included.
Results: To perform optimally, surgeons must be aware of their own emotions and others. EI differs from IQ and can be taught, learnt and improved upon. EI is measured via validated self-reporting questionnaires and ‘multi-rater’ assessments. High EI is positively associated with leadership skills in surgeons, non-technical skills, reduction in surgeon stress, burnout and increased job satisfaction, all of which translate to better patient relationships and care. Future implications of EI have been postulated as a measure of performance, a selection tool for training positions and a marker of burnout. EI should be an explicit part of contemporary surgical education and training.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information and Comments:	This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Sharp, G., Bourke, L. and Rickard, M.J.F.X. (2020), Review of emotional intelligence in health care: an introduction to emotional intelligence for surgeons, ANZ Journal of Surgery, which has been published in final form at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ans.15671 This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.
Keywords:	burnout, emotional control, emotional intelligence, measurement, surgery
Faculty / Department:	Faculty of Human and Digital Sciences > School of Psychology
Depositing User:	Lorna Bourke
Date Deposited:	06 Feb 2020 14:23
Last Modified:	06 Feb 2020 14:23
URI:	https://hira.hope.ac.uk/id/eprint/3004

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