Becker's Hospital Review

74 Executive Briefing: Patient-Centered Care and Emotional Intelligence Sponsored by Healthcare Emotional Intelligence: Its Role in Patient Outcomes and Organizational Success By Bryan Warren, Manager, Healthcare Solutions, Select International T here is a renewed interest in healthcare, in the role of Emotional Intelligence — a set of behavioral competencies, distinct from traditional IQ, that impact performance. There is also a growing body of evidence that individual behaviors, including EQ, influence patient outcomes and organizational success. What is EQ? How does it apply to healthcare? How do we use it to improve performance? Everyone is striving to provide patient-centered care. Operational strategies like Lean or Six-Sigma help in designing new, patient-centered care models. Information systems make clinical and financial data more useful and enhance efficiency. These strategies and technologies are widely available, but not every organization is successful. Patient-centered care is not just about new care delivery models. It is, to a large degree, about relationships and interactions between providers and patients and among administrators, physicians, nurses and staff. With this realization, healthcare is exploring how we can apply the concept of Emotional Intelligence. Emotional Intelligence – What is It? In the 1930s, psychological research identified "social intelligence" skills, distinct from traditional intelligence, that impact work performance. By the 1980s, research showed that overall performance was often the result of interpersonal, rather than technical, skills. By the 1990s, the term "Emotional Intelligence" was widely discussed in business circles. A definition that includes about two dozen social and emotional abilities linked to successful performance in the workplace. These abilities can be grouped into five core areas: • Self awareness • Self regulation • Self motivation • Social awareness • Social skills Interest in the concept took off with Dan Goleman's 1995 book "Emotional Intelligence." Harvard Business Review printed an article on EQ in 1998. It was the most widely read article in its 40-year history. The concept continues to have widespread support in the business world but healthcare has been slow to apply EQ concepts. Behaviors and outcomes Efforts to improve quality of care will always begin with research and training on new diagnostic and treatment approaches. There is a growing body of evidence, however, that individual behaviors significantly influence outcomes and warrant more attention. For instance, relatively simple protocols can virtually eliminate certain hospital-acquired infections. Some hospitals, though, adopt these protocols but are unsuccessful. Why? John Santa, MD, MPH, director of the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center, commented on the dilemma: "For the process to work, each individual has to make a commitment to perform each step each time, and have the courage to correct their colleague when they see an error has been made." Success requires staff members who see the value of new procedures, and a culture of communication, collaboration and adaptability. In fact, we are learning that behaviors like empathy and compassion actually impact patient outcomes. For instance, physician empathy improves patient satisfaction and adherence to treatment, and correlates with fewer medical errors. Empathetic physicians are better at managing chronic conditions like diabetes. Higher levels of communication and collaboration mean better outcomes in shock-trauma units. Inappropriate behavior by nurses and physicians is not only disruptive to the work environment but, more importantly, these behaviors can harm patients. EQ in healthcare What about the broader concept of EQ? Recent research reveals that EQ might be offered as an explanation for why some practitioners and organizations are better at delivering patient-centered care. EQ has been shown to positively contribute to the physician-patient relationship, increased empathy, teamwork, communication, stress management, organizational commitment, physician and nurse career satisfaction, and effective leadership. Several dozen nursing research studies demonstrate a correlation between EQ and performance of nurses, retention, stress adaptation, organizational citizenship and selected positive patient clinical outcomes. There is also evidence that EQ can be improved with training. If a provider has a better understanding of his or her behavioral propensities, he or she can adopt specific behaviors that will improve interactions with patients and colleagues.

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