Does emotional intelligence predict breaking bad news skills in pediatric interns? A pilot study

Abstract

BackgroundWhile both patients and physicians identify communication of bad news as an area of great challenge, the factors underlying this often complex task remain largely unknown. Emotional intelligence (EI) has been positively correlated with good general communication skills and successful leadership, but there is no literature relating EI to the delivery of bad news.PurposeOur objectives were to determine: 1) performance of first-year pediatric residents in the delivery of bad news in a standardized patient (SP) setting; and 2) the role of EI in these assessments. Our hypothesis was that pediatric trainees with higher EI would demonstrate more advanced skills in this communication task.MethodsForty first- year residents participated. Skill in bad news delivery was assessed via SP encounters using a previously published assessment tool (GRIEV_ING Death Notification Protocol). Residents completed the Emotional and Social Competency Inventory (ESCI) as a measure of EI.ResultsResidents scored poorly on bad news delivery skills but scored well on EI. Intraclass correlation coefficients indicated moderate to substantial inter-rater reliability among raters using the delivering bad news assessment tool. However, no correlation was found between bad news delivery performance and EI.ConclusionsWe concluded that first-year pediatric residents have inadequate skills in the delivery of bad news. In addition, our data suggest that higher EI alone is not sufficient to effectively deliver death news and more robust skill training is necessary for residents to gain competence and acquire mastery in this important communication domain.

Professional Rescuers’ experiences of motivation for cardiopulmonary resuscitation: A qualitative study

“…The majority of these feelings were also reported by the participants in this study. Because our study participants were educated and skilled, they could manage their negative feelings related to the CPR situation, which was consistent with the findings of Reed et al (). Elliot () stated that avoiding negative stimuli affects energy levels in individuals, which was consistent with the category of “avoiding undesirable social outcomes” developed in our study.…”

Street Smarts and a Scalpel: Emotional Intelligence in Surgical Education

“…Another study in pediatrics found no correlation between EI and skills in breaking bad news. 27 Gorgas et al 28 explored the efficacy of a social awareness training program for emergency medicine residents. The authors report a delayed but significant increase in EI after the intervention.…”

“…Likewise, although EI is a specific entity, facets of the concept are likely addressed in other literature that 19 x Lin et al 17 x x Chan et al 16 x x Dugan et al 20 McKinley et al 18 x x Arenja et al 15 x McKinley et al 4 x x Satterfield et al 21 Blumenthal et al 22 Louie et al 25 Johnson and Stern 24 x Schrimpf and Trief 23 x Olson et al 26 x Reed et al 27 x Gorgas et al 28 x would not be captured through our search design. Regardless, EI is a concept that has been embraced by the business community, has been increasing in popularity in the medical field, and is evidently a new trend in the surgical education literature.…”

The emotional intelligence of pediatric residents – a descriptive cross-sectional study

“…As discovered by Reed et al when studying residents in their first year of training high EI scores were not correlated with an increased ability to deliver bad news. 24 They concluded that increased resident EI does not replace specific training in the delivery of bad news. 24 In the design of EI-related learning sessions, a systematic review by Cherry et al provided suggestions for the structure of this training.…”

“…Systematic reviews have demonstrated that although many people are writing opinion pieces on EI and completing descriptive studies, there are actually very few empirical studies linking a doctor's skill or competence with EI or studies showing how high EI is correlated with improved patient outcomes. 9,10,[24][25][26] One of the only studies to do this is by Wagner et al and included 30 residents and family physicians at an academic family medicine institution and only showed the subscale Happiness, as measured by the EQ-i©, to be correlated with improved patient satisfaction. 10 Our descriptive study may be used as a starting point for further investigation into the impact of EI on patients and families cared for by pediatric residents.…”