Why Emotional Skills are Essential for Healthcare Managers?

The patients feel relaxed when they reach out to the doctors! But have you ever thought about how this happens? Prior to the prescription of any medicines, the patient feels a certain comfort in the presence of a doctor. But what is this quality that helps in healing the person before any medicine starts working? This is the psychological effect of doctors’ emotional support as the patient feels constant fear during the pain derived from the disease. Now the question arises what is the meaning of emotional intelligence? Normally the significance of intelligence is bound to logical reasoning and sound knowledge. However, in the case of emotional intelligence, knowledge is not considered worthy. 

But this includes the mental capacity to be aware of own human emotions and so of others. The person must know how to differentiate between feelings and emotions as per the suitable situation. As soon as the person gains mastery of his emotions he can jump over the tiny obstacles and realign to his commitments. The level of mastery of our emotions is called an emotional quotient or EQ (in shorter form). The main qualities that higher emotional intelligence includes are self-awareness, motivation, empathy, self-regulation, and social skills. If a person has a good mix of these qualities then he is better at emotional intelligence. Now let us know how emotional skills play a vital role in the healthcare industry. 

• Healthcare environment: Emotional intelligence is important in handling various situations inside the medical sector. As the hospitals are filled with patients and their families dealing with stress and anxiety. Most of the time medical staff needs to handle the patients and their family members with sorrowful news. The surgery and operations are extremely meticulous tasks that can lead to serious mistakes. That’s why the complete team of doctors, nurses, and technicians handle their duties by carefully managing their emotions. 
• Better handling of patients with higher EQ: This is proven research that concludes higher emotional quotient leads to a successful medical experience. Good emotional intelligence creates a stronger bond between the doctor and the patient. When both are aligned together, it becomes easier to reach recovery in a short span of time. The doctors provide great solutions for the patients so that they can adhere to the advice quickly.
• Regular training to improve EQ among professionals: As any skill does not stay in the person since birth – therefore he has to inculcate the quality through learning and practice. The people who don’t know how to manage their emotions well can learn this skill through proper training and control. However, the main responsibility lies in the willingness of a learner. However, it is the duty of the medical organization to apply a little push for the staff, nurses, and doctors to improvise their emotional intelligence. The hospitals must conduct regular training sessions to enhance the EQ of their hospital staff. For example, the nurse has to understand the behavioral pattern of their patients so to establish a more harmonious relationship. 
• Better steps in patient care: A better EQ aids in the delivery of patient-centric care. By communicating with the patients the medical staff can understand what the patient wants. This leads to understanding the unsaid emotions which can’t be measured through normal talks. It mainly focuses on the patient’s feelings which is why the outcome can be predicted easily. It is a responsive way of dealing with the service orientation. 

Therefore emotional skills are super important for healthcare managers in order to gain patient trust. At IIHMR Delhi, we help the students to learn and excel in these emotional skills so that they can flourish in their medical careers.