The Missing Piece: A Novel Measurement Tool to Identify Target Areas for Improving Emotional Intelligence in the Interprofessional Learning Environment
Background: The value of emotional intelligence (EI) in the interprofessional learning environment (IPLE) is well documented. However, many educators and learners are unaware of tools that exist to assess the strengths and weakness of the individual learner’s EI skills. By utilizing a validated EI self-assessment and measurement tool in the IPLE, both educators and learners can potentially identify and align the educational intervention to address the learner’s specific area of EI weakness. The primary aim of this study was to determine if target areas for EI improvement could be identified among interprofessional healthcare learners using a validated EI self-awareness and measurement tool.
Methods: Individuals who practice in the IPLE were recruited for this study. Participants from the department of medicine, surgery, psychology, nursing, pharmacy, and quality improvement were given two assessments. The Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT) was used to measure EI self-assessment. This assessment stratifies EI into four sub-categories of emotion: perception, utilization, managing own, and managing others. The results of the SSEIT were compared to the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) which is a validated tool that measures EI through an individual's abilities to perceive, use, understand, and manage emotional information. The accuracy of the EI self-assessment, labeled as EI self-awareness, was defined as similar assessment scores in relation to the group (SSEIT) or standardized (MSCEIT) average.
Results: The average age of the participants was 44 years old and included 4 men (40%) and 6 women (60%). Mean SSEIT and MSCEIT score were 131/165 (±13, range 113-147) and 101 (±17, range 81-117), respectively. SSEIT section scores were perceiving (39/50, ±7, range 24-49), using (24/30, ±4, range 16-29), managing own (37/45, ±4, range 29-42), and managing others’ emotions (32/40, ±3, range 26-36). MSCEIT section scores were perceiving (53 percentile, ±28, range 21-96), using (53 percentile, ±27, range 2-78), understanding (49 percentile, ±19, range 22-82), and managing emotions (47 percentile, ±22, range 11-84). Thirty percent of the participants were classified as inaccurately identifying their EI level.
Discussion and Conclusion: This study identified up to 30% of individuals who erroneously over or under-estimated their own EI skill. It also identified managing emotions as the sub-category of EI that registered the lowest score among this learner group. This represents a potential high value target for facilitated interprofessional guided reflection and team-based deliberate practice sessions that can be followed longitudinally to demonstrate improvement in EI skills.
