The impact caused by nursing professionals' emotional intelligence on patient care

Abstract

Emotional intelligence (EI) is an essential skill for professionals in all areas. However, emotional knowledge is often still considered superficial in nursing when compared to other areas of activity. Therefore, investigating how professionals in this area develop EI and apply it in their daily work becomes fundamental. The objective of the present work, in this context, was to understand how nursing professionals develop emotional intelligence and apply it in their work routine, especially in patient care. To obtain information and primary data, descriptive, quantitative research and the field survey method were used through the application of questionnaires with structured questions (multiple choice or scaled - Likert scale). The questionnaire was administered online via the Google Forms digital platform to a sample of nursing assistants, nursing technicians and nurses (n = 42). When analyzing the participants' responses, it was concluded that nursing professionals understand that EI is important for the care provided to patients and, for the most part, frequently reflect on how their own emotions can influence respect for patients' needs. Although the participants have already been familiar with the content during their academic training, they disagree that their institutions of activity sufficiently value the application of practices for the development of EI.