A health‐care model of emotional labour

Abstract

This paper aims to evaluate the literature on emotional labour in the health-care sector and the benefits and costs of such performance for both the carer and the patient. The aim is to develop a new health care model of emotional labour that has implications for health-care management in terms of policy and education as well as for future research in this field. A new model to explain the antecedents and consequences of emotional labour within a health-care setting is developed that builds on existing research. The model distinguishes between types of emotional conflict to which emotional labour-inducing events in health-care settings might lead. The negative and positive consequences, specific to health-care settings, of emotional labour performance are also outlined. Emotional labour should be formally recognised as a key skill in facilitating the patient journey, with emotional skills being taught in innovative ways outside the formal classroom setting. Health-care professionals should be offered training on coping with the effects of emotional labour performance. Finally, more research should be carried out to further develop the model, particularly in identifying causes of emotional labour within health-care settings and in differentiating the effects that different kinds of emotional labour performance might have. The paper draws together previous research on emotional labour within health-care settings to develop a coherent model that can be used to guide future research and practice.