Digital Literacy and Emotional Intelligence and Professional Burnout Among Doctors

The role of digital technologies in healthcare is growing. Therefore, the roles and responsibilities of medical professionals are constantly changing and there is a need for continuous professional development. However, according to some authors, today's generation of doctors can be considered as "digital aborigines" [Aungst, Patel, 2020]. Low literacy in the field of e-health has become a major obstacle to digital transformation in developed countries, so digital skills training for healthcare professionals has gradually been introduced in the USA [Adler-Milstein, et al., 2014], Europe [Schreiweis, et al., 2019], Australia [Evolution of eHealth in Australia, 2016].

However, in our opinion, the digital competence of a doctor is not only the ability to work at a computer and use software. The successful development of the digital world is preceded by some psychological and emotional processes.

Computerization and automation of the healthcare system began relatively recently, traditional (paper) document management in medicine is familiar to everyone, but not optimal from the point of view of system management. Therefore, universal digitalization is perceived as something artificially imposed, increasing the workload of doctors, distracting from their main work and shifting the focus from truly therapeutic activities to filling out documentation. As a result, doctors have a range of negative emotions: fear, annoyance, anxiety, despondency, refusal of further contacts, etc., which lead to an aggravation of emotional burnout. The ability to recognize and live through these states, to come to an inner balance, to accumulate an internal resource for further development of new technologies - all this is possible under the condition of the development of emotional intelligence. By developing so-called soft skills, the doctor will be emotionally stable, capable of further advancement and learning new skills, and will easily cope with temporary difficulties and setbacks.

And the final stage, having gained the opportunity to overcome internal obstacles, the doctor is ready to begin mastering specialized digital skills directly related to medical activities: work in medical information systems, remote monitoring, artificial intelligence, medical decision support systems.

The result of the development of a doctor within this model will be not only digital literacy, but also the development of an internally stable personality that easily overcomes any obstacles not only in training, but also in communication with patients and colleagues.