A Longitudinal Study of Emotional Intelligence Training for Otolaryngology Residents and Faculty

Abstract

Emotional intelligence training positively influences patient satisfaction and may enhance medical education and health care outcome.

Street Smarts and a Scalpel: Emotional Intelligence in Surgical Education

“…Jensen et al 19 and Dugan et al 20 both reported BarOn EQ-i scores of surgical residents that were highest in stress management and lowest in interpersonal skills. However, these low scores were still above national average.…”

“…The current literature essentially serves as a needs assessment that identifies opportunities for improvement or optimization in surgical resident education. Dugan et al 20 presented the only intervention to address the EI of surgical residents along with a longitudinal assessment of EI. After 7 years of an interactive EI training module for both residents and faculty, the authors report a shift in the EI scores of the entire department from the "average" range to the "high average" range.…”

“…This finding correlated with a significant increase in patient satisfaction scores as well. 20 Beyond such descriptive studies, interventions such as those described in Dugan et al 20 and Blumenthal et al 22 should be analyzed for their efficacy, particularly with an emphasis on optimization of time and cost investments. Other longitudinal studies to document the natural history of EI throughout the course of residency training may help identify foci around which interventions may be designed.…”

“…These findings, however, are at a single-center and not generalizable. With a shift to patient satisfaction scores as a focus in healthcare, it is important to note that Dugan et al 20 documented an increase in departmental patient satisfaction scores after their EI training program.…”

Emotional Intelligence: A Critical Tool to Understand and Improve Behaviors That Impact Patient Care

“…Some organizations are beginning to evaluate the advantages of using information gained from 360-Degree physician feedback to improve physician emotional intelligence as a way to foster two of the six core competencies (interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism) endorsed by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, the American Board of Medical Specialties, and the Joint Commission [16]. Some more progressive organizations have introduced emotional intelligence training for specialty groups as a way to improve patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes [17]. At Brigham and Woman's Hospital in Boston, they have developed a Division of Medical Communications Department to enhance communication efficiency [18].…”