Hi folks,

It’s official! A recent research study concludes:

“Emotional Intelligence (EI) coaching for doctors is needed to optimize the relationship with the patients” (see end of this mail)

Coincidentally, during the Conscious Journey Medical and Holistic telecall  last week it became apparent that healthcare professionals may not automatically make a connection between coaching, emotional intelligence and the important role of coaching as a tool for increasing emotional intelligence in healthcare. In fact it became apparent that they may not know what emotional intelligence is, let alone why they should need coaching to increase it!

It is important that we join up the dots for healthcare professionals, practitioners, providers and educators because the association is not at first obvious.

Some years ago I researched workplace bullying in healthcare, which is a symptom of low emotional intelligence. The solution to a workplace culture of bullying and toxic relationships is to increase emotional intelligence, and coaching is a very effective tool for doing that. In my opinion it is the best tool that we have so far for increasing emotional intelligence.

So this is the important message… increasing emotional intelligence in the workplace leads to profound effects in improving the working environment:

• reducing stress,
• improving staff turnover,
• increasing employee job satisfaction,
• improved sickness / absence levels,
• improved retention and
• saving thousands of dollars in staff health, recruitment and re-training costs.

And how do we increase emotional intelligence? Through coaching and not just any coaching, emotionally intelligent coaching. The degree of emotional intelligence (specifically presence and awareness) of the coach makes a difference. (if you’re not familiar with emotional intelligence, you can find out more here) 

The message is simple.. want to have happier staff, happier patients, save money and reduce stress? develop a coaching culture. But as coaches we can’t skip to the punchline because healthcare practitioners and providers need to know how. We need to fill in the blanks.

Every time we collect a little piece of research like this re-affirming the connection between coaching – emotional intelligence – and improved outcomes, it strengthens the case for coaching in healthcare.

SIG co-host Anya Sophia and myself are co-facilitating a ”Coaching in Healthcare” program which begins in November. This is an easily accessible distance learning program offered through telegatherings (teleseminars) which may be invaluable to you and / or your team. Feel free to spread the word by forwarding the link.

As coaches and health professionals it serves us to familiarise ourselves with the essentials of emotional intelligence and it’s role in transforming healthcare culture. Then, if we also work on increasing our own emotional intelligence, we are much better placed to make a case for coaching as an effective tool in transforming healthcare culture.

As we transform ourselves we transform the culture.

Enjoy your week!

Warm Regards, Ruth Hadikin

Ruth Hadikin is a Personal Development Coach and an Associate of Conscious Journey Institute
web: www.ConsciousJourneyInstitute.com
e-mail: Ruth@ConsciousJourneyInstitute.com
phone 44 (0) 130 964 1058 (UK)

 

 
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Weng, H.C., Chen, H.C, Chen, H.J, Lu, K., & Hung. S.Y. (2008). Doctors’ emotional intelligence and the patient-doctor relationship. Medical Education, 42, 703-711.

This study explored the associations among patients’ trust, patient-doctor relationship (PDR), and doctors’ EI as measured by WLEIS, a 16 item self-report EI measure. A total of 994 outpatients and 39 doctors representing 11 specialties participated in the study. In addition to the doctors, three nurse directors rated doctors’ EI using the same scale. The findings showed that there was no significant association between a doctor’s self reported EI and patient-rated trust and the PDR. However, nurse-rated EI of doctors was positively associated with patient trust and the PDR. The main implication of the study is that 360 EI tests may be a better evaluation of doctors’ EI than self-report measures and that EI coaching for doctors is needed to optimize the relationship with the patients. (extract published in EI Consortium update)