36 - LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, BURNOUT AND WELLBEING OF SURGICAL AND MEDICAL RESIDENTS

Objectives: Emotional intelligence (EI) as a concept is becoming increasingly relevant in the healthcare industry. In order to examine the relationship between EI, Burnout, and wellness, we administered the related measures quarterly in upcoming medical and surgical residents, and analyzed the changes in each subset to gain an insight of their relationship.

Methods: All residents entering the training programs of the academic years 2017 and 2018 were voluntarily participated in completing the Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form ( TEIQue-SF ), the Maslach Burnout inventory (MBI ), and physician Wellness Inventory ( PWI ) quarterly. Statistical analysis included ANOVA and ANCOVA. IRB approval was obtained prior to the study. Response rate was 100%.

Results: The overall PGY1 (n=80) had a mean EI score of 5.47 ( SD+0.59 ) . The domains of burnout and physician wellness were examined across four different time points during the first year. Domain scores changed significantly during the resident’s first year. There was 46% relative increase in exhaustion ,(p < 0.001), 48% increase in depersonalization (p < 0.001) and 11% decrease in personal achievement between the beginning and end of the year. Physician wellness domains also changed significantly during the same time. There was a relative 12% decrease in career purpose (p < 0.001), a 30% increase in distress ( p< 0.001) and 6% decrease in cognitive flexibility (p0.001). Each burnout and wellness domaine were highly correlated with EI. EI was indecently assessed with each domain at the beginning and end of the year. The lowest EI group reported their distress increased significantly over time (p=0.003) and decline in carrier purpose (p < 0.001) and cognitive flexibility (p=0.04).

Conclusion: Emotional intelligence is associated with the burnout and wellbeing of residents. It is important to identify those who require increased support during residency in order to succeed.