Soft Skills as a Professional Platform in the Processes of Adaptation of Healthcare Workers to Crisis Situations
https://doi.org/10.35627/2219-5238/2022-30-1-21-28
Abstract
Introduction: Hospital employees have become one of the main risk groups for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). In extreme conditions of the pandemic and over a short period of time, healthcare professionals were forced to repurpose their work, learn a significant amount of new information, and acquire novel professional competencies. Yet, the importance of supra-professional skills and competencies (so-called “soft skills”) for their job should not be underestimated, especially in crisis situations.
Objective: To establish the role of soft skills in the adaptation of medical workers to severe conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Materials and methods: We conducted an anonymous questionnaire-based survey of 638 hospital workers on the basis of the Google platform. The form containing two built-in scales was specially developed by the authors to assess the level of emotional intelligence (EQ) and adaptability of hospital employees under crisis conditions.
Results: We found that most employees (78.7 %) had a moderate EQ level, while 13.0 % and 8.3 % had high and low EQ levels, respectively. We established that 100 % of the respondents with low EQ and 76.5 % of the respondents with moderate EQ had low adaptability; in the rest 23.5 % of the employees with moderate EQ, the level of adaptability was assessed as medium. Individuals with high EQ demonstrated medium (53.0 %) and high (44.6 %) levels of adaptability to the situation and only 2.4 % found it difficult to adapt to rapid changes. The estimated Spearman’s correlation coefficient of 0.43 (p < 0.001) showed a moderate strength of correlation between the EQ level and adaptability.
Conclusions: Highly developed soft skills contribute to better adaptation of employees to the new reality. Under current conditions, HR managers shall concentrate on introducing soft skills development training for healthcare professionals.
About the Authors
T. A. Platonova
European Medical Center “UMMC – Health”
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Tatyana A. Platonova, Cand. Sci. (Med.), Head of the Department of Epidemiology
113 Sheinkman Street, Yekaterinburg, 620144
A. A. Golubkova
Central Research Institute of Epidemiology; Russian Medical Academy of Continuing Professional Education
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Alla A. Golubkova, Dr. Sci. (Med.), Professor; Leading Researcher, Laboratory of Healthcare-Associated Infections; Professor, Department of Epidemiology
3А Novogireevskaya Street, Moscow, 111123; Bldg 1, 2/1 Barrikadnaya Street, Moscow, 125993
S. S. Smirnova
Yekaterinburg Research Institute of Viral Infections, State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology VECTOR; Ural State Medical University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Svetlana S. Smirnova, Cand. Sci. (Med.), Head of the Ural-Siberian Scientific and Methodological Center for Prevention of HealthcareAssociated Infections; Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Social Hygiene and Organization of the State Sanitary and Epidemiological Service
23 Letnyaya Street, Yekaterinburg, 620030; 3 Repin Street, Yekaterinburg, 620028
K. V. Shakhova
European Medical Center “UMMC – Health”
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Kira V. Shakhova, HR Director
113 Sheinkman Street, Yekaterinburg, 620144
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For citations:
Platonova T.A., Golubkova A.A., Smirnova S.S., Shakhova K.V. Soft Skills as a Professional Platform in the Processes of Adaptation of Healthcare Workers to Crisis Situations. Public Health and Life Environment – PH&LE. 2022;1(1):21-28. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.35627/2219-5238/2022-30-1-21-28
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