The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Communication Skills in Healthcare Staff

Abstract

Introduction: Emotional intelligence (EI), also known as Emotional Quotient, is defined as an individual’s alertness on his or her own emotions, together by an alertness of the emotions in other people and the capacity to manage them and act appropriately. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the EI (Emotional Intelligence) and communication skills of healthcare staff working at ambulatory clinics in Shiraz. Methods: 108 healthcare staff was selected using simple random sampling. To assess the EI, a valid and reliable Persian version of Goleman’s questionnaire was used. To assess the communication skills, a questionnaire was designed based on previous questionnaires. For each healthcare staff, five patients were selected randomly to complete the questionnaires. Results: The total score of the EI was 76.49 ± 2.83 out of 112. The mean total score of the communication skills was 96.80 ± 11.63 out of 120. There was a significant relationship between the total score of EI and communication skills. The R2 coeffcient was 0.74. There was also a significant relationship between EI dimensions and the total score of communication skills (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Having a higher level of EI leads to better communication with patients and better health outcomes.