Moments That Matter: A Prospective Mixed-Methods Study Integrating Emotional Intelligence Opportunistically Into...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Psychology

Background:

• Emotional intelligence (EI) is crucial for effective surgical practice.
• Current surgical training often lacks explicit EI development.
• Integrating EI can enhance communication, teamwork, and patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of embedding EI teaching into existing surgical training.
• To evaluate the short-term impact of this integration on surgical registrars' EI.
• To understand trainees' perceptions of EI development within their training.

Main Methods:

• Prospective mixed-methods study conducted at a single tertiary teaching hospital.
• Intervention involved integrating EI teaching into routine activities like grand rounds and simulation.
• Fifteen surgical registrars participated, with data collected via self-report surveys, objective EI testing (MSCEIT v2), and interviews.

Main Results:

• Self-reported EI knowledge and application significantly increased (p < 0.0001).
• Objective EI scores (MSCEIT v2) showed modest improvement from a high baseline.
• Qualitative analysis revealed learning stages including awareness, regulation, empathy, and identity integration, with reported gains in reflective practice and situational awareness.

Conclusions:

• Embedding EI teaching within surgical training is feasible, cost-neutral, and acceptable.
• Short-term objective EI improvements were limited, but perceived gains and behavioral reflection were substantial.
• Longitudinal integration is recommended for sustainable development of emotional and interpersonal competencies in surgeons.