A STUDY OF THE IMPACT OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE TRAINING IN PHYSIOTHERAPY INTERNS A PILOT STUDY

Abstract

Background: Physiotherapy is a branch of medicine where development of a good rapport between patient and therapist coupled with presence of a caring attitude and emotional understanding of patients would facilitate faster recovery. This study assessed the effect of Emotional Intelligence (EI) training in physiotherapy interns to help them understand their patients better and enhance their self awareness while patient’s perceived change in care was examined. Methods: 8 physiotherapy interns completed an EI scale at the start and end of the study. A scale assessing change in Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE) was administered to patients prior to and after the EI training. A retrospective pre and post questionnaire was helped assess change in personal attitude and awareness for the interns. All interns were trained using 6 modules on EI via lectures, case vignettes and discussions. Results: Statistically significant differences in scores were noted on the EI scale, retrospective pre and post questionnaire and the CARE questionnaire (p< 0.05). A correlation done between the retro-post questionnaire and post training CARE scale scores revealed a positive correlation between patient perception of better care and enhanced self awareness in interns (r = 0.88847, p = 0.00318). Conclusion: EI training helped improving patient care and self awareness in physiotherapy interns leading to better care being perceived by patients. This study demonstrates the educational value of EI training emphasizing the need for the regular inclusion of EI training in physiotherapy training curriculums. Further studies to validate these findings are warranted.

Keywords

• emotional intelligence
• physiotherapy
• interns
• self awareness
• patient care
• CARE questionnaire.