Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1043624
EMOTIONAl INTEllIGENCE (EI) BRINGS AN ADDED DIMENSION TO HE AlTH CARE THAT MAKES A CRUCIAl DIFFERENCE IN PATIENT OUTCOMES, ACCORDING TO PHYSICIANS AND OTHER E XPERTS. "ON THE MOST basic level as a care- g iver — en ga g i n g w it h t he pat ient , understanding their needs and all these things that become patient-centered care — you can be the best clinician in the world with technical skills or knowledge base," says Bryan Warren, attorney and Director of Healthcare Solutions at Select International, an employee assessment and workforce solutions company based in Pittsburgh. "But if you can't pick up on patients' needs and communicate and engage patients in their own care, you're not going to be as eff ective." DEFINING EI Wa rren, who ha s written on the topic for Becker's Hospital Review, lists four key components of EI: self-awa reness, socia l awareness, communication skills a nd empathy. " EI is, 'I have enough awa reness to know how I a m being perceived, socia l understa nding to know how someone i s rea c t i n g t o t h at , com mu n icat ion ski l ls to be able to a lter those things a nd empat hy to help understa nd t he emotions," he says. "[No component] is more impor ta nt tha n the others." Fa ilure to cultivate EI ca n lead to a n incomplete understa nding of patients' capabilities, complia nce a nd progress, as well as hinder collaboration. " We a re now not just concerned with episodic care, but educating the patient to move for wa rd a nd ta ke ca re of them- selves," Warren says. " We're a lso asking folks to work on interdisciplinary teams to solve complex problems. That 's a ll emotiona l intelligence." Neither a re questions surrounding EI s t r ic t ly et h ica l or med ica l ; t hey have f i na ncia l i mplications a s wel l. Emotional Intelligence in Medicine — and Overcoming Barriers to It BY K ATY MENA-BERKLEY VALUING 1 2