Healthcare Professionals' Perceptions of Emotional Intelligence in Remote Counselling—A Descriptive Qualitative Study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Aim In recent years, the significant expansion of remote healthcare services has introduced effective new treatment models. Correspondingly, remote counselling through telephone and digital methods has witnessed substantial growth. The dynamic interaction between healthcare professionals and counselling content is crucial during remote patient consultations, directly impacting outcomes and overall healthcare burden. Our aim was to explore healthcare professionals' perceptions of the use of emotional intelligence in the context of remote counselling. Design Qualitative descriptive study. Method A snowball method was used to identify potential participants for the study. Six semi‐structured focus group interviews were conducted to capture the perceptions of the participants. Interviewees ( n = 16) were healthcare professionals from Finnish healthcare organisations. Inductive content analysis was used to analyse the data. Results Two main categories were found related to the use of emotional intelligence during remote counselling. Firstly, healthcare professionals described emotional intelligence as being expressed through dialogue during remote counselling. Emotional intelligence was achieved through realising reciprocity and using emotional intelligence skills during remote counselling. Secondly, they identified factors that shape the use of emotional intelligence. The identified factors included: individual characteristics in the manifestation of emotional intelligence, unique aspects of the remote counselling environment and competencies that enhance emotional intelligence skills. Conclusion Healthcare professionals indicated that dialogical interaction with patients enables the use of emotional intelligence in remote counselling. Interpreting patients' emotions and providing emotional support were perceived as challenging in the context of remote counselling. Those challenges may lead to misunderstandings or weaken the quality of counselling. Patient or Public Contribution No patient or public contribution.