Emotional Intelligence Training and Evaluation in Physicians

To the Editor: In their Commentary, Drs Grewal and Davidson¹ pointed out a lack of operational definitions in the field of medical education, particularly within the competency framework,² and proposed the emotional intelligence (EI) model as a useful theory to fill this lack. As suggested by the authors, an EI framework may improve understanding of the factors that underlie the acquisition of effective interpersonal and communication competencies, such as “the ability to perceive, use, understand, and manage emotions in self and others.”¹

Training in EI may enhance not only the quality of the physician-patient relationship³ but also the accuracy of clinical diagnostic and prognostic judgment. For example, one study suggested that facial expressions of a psychiatrist carrying out diagnostic interviews may be more predictive of subsequent suicide attempts among depressed patients than the psychiatrist's declarative predictions.⁴

Training in EI to improve interpersonal and communicative skills should include a program to teach physicians how to use their own emotional expressions to better understand the patient's affective states beyond the verbal and nonverbal communications. Physicians should take into account their emotional expressions through channels such as facial actions, voice, posture, gesture, and rhythms, as much as they do perceived internal feelings during interactions with patients. It is possible that this emotional training could enhance diagnostic and prognostic ability in other fields of medicine, given the psychopathological correlates of physical illness that requires clinical attention. Grewal and Davidson stated that studies are required to investigate the effects of EI training programs in medical education. We believe that among the outcome measures should be the physician's diagnostic and prognostic abilities.