Achieving Patient Care Excellence with Emotional Intelligence

Background: The idea of Emotional Intelligence (EI) was first introduced in the 90s, defining it as "the subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one's own and others' feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide one's thinking and action." Studies revealed that patient satisfaction is affected by the patient–clinician relationship, and the clinician's happiness positively impacts patient satisfaction with care. Interestingly, the North American healthcare system delivery has not explored the idea extensively. Objective: To foster patient care excellence in the Windsor-Essex region, we would like to evaluate the impact of EI on patient–clinician relationships. Method: We will conduct a mixed-method study where the quantitative component is a case study with clinicians (population) using EI consultation (intervention) to achieve patient satisfaction (outcome). The intervention will be provided for six months. We will use a Likert scale to evaluate patient satisfaction before and after the intervention and interpret data with a t-test. The qualitative component will explore clinicians' perceptions of patient care after receiving the EI consultation grounded in interpretive description theory. Implication: The study will contribute to knowledge generation on EI and its possible impact on patient–clinician relationships. The results from the study will also aid Erie Shores Health Care in achieving patient care excellence.