Emotional Intelligence as a Component of Surgical Coaching: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Psychology in Medicine

Background:

• Surgical coaching enhances both technical and non-technical skills.
• Emotional Intelligence (EI) is a crucial non-technical skill linked to leadership and job satisfaction.
• The role of EI in surgical coaching requires further exploration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review on the integration of Emotional Intelligence (EI) within surgical coaching.
• To map the existing literature on EI as a component of non-technical skills in surgical coaching.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive scoping review of Medline database was performed from inception to May 2023.
• Studies were included if they involved surgical coaching and incorporated aspects of EI into non-technical skills.
• Literature search yielded 3206 studies; 8 studies were included in the final analysis after screening.

Main Results:

• Coaching was primarily delivered by surgeons, with varied coach training methods and a lack of standardization.
• Outcome measures included technical, non-technical skills (NOTSS), burnout, and resilience.
• No studies formally measured EI, though related concepts like empathy and self-knowledge were addressed.

Conclusions:

• Standardizing surgical coaching protocols is essential.
• Integrating formal Emotional Intelligence (EI) principles into surgical coaching can enhance its effectiveness.
• Further research should focus on the explicit measurement and application of EI in surgical coaching.