Number of Citations: 0

Submitted: 16 December 2022
Accepted: 3 January 2023
Published online: 4 July, TAPS 2023, 8(3), 68-69
https://doi.org/10.29060/TAPS.2023-8-3/LE2930

David Mathew

Department of Anaesthesia, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Singapore

Dear Editor,

I read with great interest the article entitled “The associates of Emotional Intelligence in medical students: A systematic review” (Edussuriya et al., 2022) in your journal published in October 2022. The association of Emotional Intelligence (EI) with wellbeing cannot be underestimated, especially with the plethora of positive effects it has on mental health and academic performance. In fact, I think this can be extended beyond students, to all healthcare professionals.

In my opinion, humanities in medicine provide a potentially novel way of improving emotional intelligence. The writer of a piece acknowledges the scientific experience that has moved him/her, and subsequently reflects on the entire experience through the arts and writing. The process of writing can be cathartic as it presents an avenue for the writer to release emotions that might have been pent-up or hidden as we provide a brave front to our patients. Once written, the piece can be shared, and reach out to other healthcare professionals who might have encountered similar experiences. Some may find comfort in reading such pieces, as they realise they are not alone in experiencing the roller-coaster of emotions in their daily lives.

I have appended a piece I wrote regarding my experience with an obstetrics patient and how sometimes the lesser said, the more it means. The process of writing and sharing this piece helped me better understand and appreciate what I went through and I hope it can do the same for fellow readers.

Cry

The day I saw her cry

was when her baby’s heart

slowed.

She needed the Caesarean

quickly.

 

Her eyes conceived tears

crawling down her cheeks

shaping into an anxious cry.

I counted the tears

and spoke more words

comforting, reassuring.

 

I saw her cry

one week later,

this time her littlest bundle

the greatest joy.

 

Tears of happiness

dancing muted screams of relief

I counted the tears

but spoke nothing

comforting, reassuring.

 

Tears

instead of words,

won wars of emotions.

And staying silent

might be the most reassuring cry

of comfort.

Note on Contributor

DM came up with the concept of the manuscript, and wrote the entirety of its contents.

Funding

There was no funding for this paper.

Declaration of Interest

There is no conflict of interest declared.

References

Edussuriya, D., Perera, S., Marambe, K., Wijesiriwardena, Y., & Ekanayake, K. (2022). The associates of Emotional Intelligence in medical students: A systematic review. The Asia Pacific Scholar, 7(4), 59–70. https://doi.org/10.29060/taps.2022-7-4/oa2714

*David Mathew
Khoo Teck Puat Hospital,
90 Yishun Central, Singapore
Email: davidmathew3142@gmail.com