Emotional intelligence in Nursing

MAIN BODY

The concept of emotional intelligence is linked to self-awareness, self-management, relationship management and social awareness. Emotional intelligence in nurses is important, specially, in cases where practice involves care for patients. The emotional ambiance of workplace can be better understood with adequate emotional intelligence. Skills such as stress tolerance, time management and decision making are enhanced by development of emotional intelligence, ultimately improving the quality of care given to patients. There is an important relationship between quality of care and the quality of nursing care (QoNC). Good quality of nursing care increase patient satisfaction outcomes in clinical settings. Increased patient satisfaction helps in reduction of hospital costs and improves the overall efficiency of care. Moreover, it is proven that nurses are determinants of quality in hospitals (Talman and et. al., 2020). Emotional intelligent nurses carry out effective leadership in nursing. Management of high levels of stress, risk of moral injury and exhaustion are some roles that nursing leaders need to play. The main aim of emotional intelligent nurses is to ensure that they focus on patient safety and evidence based care to help others along with the synthesis of emotional intelligence in their nursing practice. The ability allows nurses to recognize their emotions and manage them, both in patients and themselves (Wang and et. al., 2018). Furthermore, these emotions are regulated in reasoning and stressful situations. Given below is an evidence based study about the importance of emotional intelligence in nurses and measures to enhance this aspect in nursing practice.

Emotional intelligence in professional nursing practice: A concept review using Rodgers's evolutionary analysis approach, 2018 [Online] Available through
<https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6718873/#:~:text=The%20four%20attributes%20of%20EI,and%20operational%20understanding%20of%20EI >

The above mentioned article aids in clarifying the concepts of emotional intelligence and its importance in advancement of nursing practice. Nursing practice facilitates emotional well-being which benefits the patients and their families (Guo and et. al., 2019). The main attributes and components of emotional intelligence are- self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management. This article highlighted the importance of concept of emotional intelligence in nurses which positively affects the quality of patient outcomes along with overall well-being of nurses and their nursing practices. The importance of family centred care, critical thinking and valuable team is correlated with positive patient outcomes. This particular study was guided by Rodger's evolutional concept analysis, which reviewed a total of 23 articles consisting of a thorough description of emotional intelligence (Teskereci, Öncel and Özer Arslan 2020). The outcome of this article showcased the impact of emotional intelligence in nursing practice which is related to higher levels of job satisfaction, reduced stress levels and burnouts along with fostering a positive environment for patients. EI helps nurses to understand the merging of emotions with cognitive skills. This results in better decisions, improved relationships and positive patient outcomes. The development of emotional intelligence requires a lot of patience and self-reflection in order to achieve positive results on various levels. The evaluation of feedback is equally important for development of an action plan to improve emotional intelligence at a personal level.

A literature review of emotional intelligence and nursing education, 2021 [Online] Available through <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352568019_A_literature_review_of_emotional_intelligence_and_nursing_education>

There are a wide variety of benefits of application of emotional intelligence in nursing care units. Emotional intelligence is a vital part of nursing care and contributes highly to good quality of care imparted to the patients. Evidence based research claims that the concept of EI is beneficial in nursing education and it must be implemented in nursing practices at all times. Emotional development programmes must be formulated in such a way that they incorporate the perspectives and recommendations related to advantages of EI in nursing practices. It is integral for nurses to look past their personal perspectives and develop EI considering the condition of patients. For example, spending quality time with patient and listening to their problems might foster a good relationship between the nurse and patient (Cleary and et. al., 2018). This will enable nurses to implement a preferable care plan according to needs of the patient, ultimately helping them in their recovery. In addition, different mental exercises should be practised by nurses to develop a problem solving approach along with empathetic responses. Personal emotional responses in nurses should be managed mindfully with the help of a psychologist to avoid situations of unresolved personal issues which can lead to emotional dissonance. Practising controlling of emotional responses is crucial for improving overall performance of nurses. Nurses are exposed to a variety of physical and emotional labour, therefore, understanding the role of emotional intelligence is very crucial and also understand about Sample Reflective Journal Assignment

Reflection

Being in the healthcare sector, I have come to the conclusion that emotional intelligence is a crucial aspect of my practice. It is important for me to practice measures that improve emotional intelligence during my nursing practice. I can achieve and develop EI with the help of a professional or through mindful meditation. I must possess the ability to self-regulate emotions through verbal restraint and behaviour surveillance (Christianson, 2020). Relationship management and social skills are crucial to practice to ensure fostering of good relations with patients. The ability to communicate with patients through active listening is crucial as it will allow patients to see me as a friendly and approachable. Therefore, in order to exhibit warmth in my behaviour, I will implement both, verbal and non-verbal communication in my practice. In the process of trying to save or rescue others, it is important for me to detach myself from the personal experiences from being empathetic as I might suffer from compression fatigue afterwards. Being in a non-judgemental zone and accepting the reality of life is the most practical aspect of lives of nurses. In my experience, lack of emotional intelligence will lead to an increase in patient errors, higher costs of care and low rates of patient satisfaction (LEE and Lee, 2018). The practice of complying by emotional intelligence has many positive effects and its absence is linked to a variety of negative behaviours. Overall, apart from being beneficial to patients, EI has a very positive impact on work productivity of nurses resulting in greater job satisfaction. I will make sure to be aware about my strengths and weaknesses as it will help me embrace constructive feedbacks during my course of practice. As for my patients, it is my duty to motivate them to get better and to eliminate any possibility of negative gestures that will hamper their recovery.

Read Also: NCP106 Nursing care plans

CONCLUSION

From the above report, it can be concluded that it is important nursing students to exhibit traits of emotional intelligence in nursing practices. The incorporation of EI helps in achieving increased patient satisfaction, lower hospital visits and decreased stress levels. A reflection based on the similarities and differences in EI for different nursing professional’s aids in facilitation of positive patient experiences. Recognizing feelings, self-monitoring and awareness determine the impact of emotions and measures for their management. Nurses can demonstrate emotional intelligence through developing and fostering effective personal relationships with patients and colleagues. The key elements of emotional intelligence include recognising and understanding of emotions, followed by their regulation. Better work relationships enhance job satisfaction and helps in resolving complex issues related to health of the patient. This will help nurses to practice control of their own personal emotions and identify their triggers to be able to shift focus away from themselves and work efficiently towards treating the patient.

REFERENCES

• Christianson, K.L., 2020. Emotional intelligence and critical thinking in nursing students: integrative review of literature. Nurse Educator, 45(6), pp.E62-E65.
• Cleary, M., Visentin, D., West, S., Lopez, V. and Kornhaber, R., 2018. Promoting emotional intelligence and resilience in undergraduate nursing students: An integrative review. Nurse education today, 68, pp.112-120.
• Guo, M., Yin, X., Wang, C., Nie, L. and Wang, G., 2019. Emotional intelligence a academic procrastination among junior college nursing students. Journal of advanced nursing, 75(11), pp.2710-2718.
• Kaya, H., Şenyuva, E. and Bodur, G., 2018. The relationship between critical thinking and emotional intelligence in nursing students: A longitudinal study. Nurse education today, 68, pp.26-32.
• LEE, E.J. and Lee, S., 2018. The mediating effect of ego-resilience on the relationship between emotional intelligence and nursing performance among clinical nurses. Health Communication, pp.19-27.
• Sharon, D. and Grinberg, K., 2018. Does the level of emotional intelligence affect the degree of success in nursing studies?. Nurse education today, 64, pp.21-26.
• Talman, K., Hupli, M., Rankin, R., Engblom, J. and Haavisto, E., 2020. Emotional intelligence of nursing applicants and factors related to it: A cross-sectional study. Nurse education today, 85, p.104271.
• Teskereci, G., Öncel, S. and Özer Arslan, Ü., 2020. Developing compassion and emotional intelligence in nursing students: A quasi‐experimental study. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 56(4), pp.797-803.
• Wang, L., Tao, H., Bowers, B.J., Brown, R. and Zhang, Y., 2018. When nurse emotional intelligence matters: How transformational leadership influences intent to stay. Journal of nursing management, 26(4), pp.358-365.

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