Cent Eur J Nurs Midw 2024, 15(3):1158-1165 | DOI: 10.15452/cejnm.2024.15.0014

Level of emotional intelligence in medical-surgical nursing specialist nurses

Susana Loureiro Teixeira1, Pedro Filipe Azevedo Moutinho2, Ana Catarina Pereira Pinto3, Liliana Andreia Neves da Mota4
1 Pulmonology Service, Centro Hospitalar do Baixo Vouga, Aveiro, Portugal
2 Independent Researcher, Porto, Portugal
3 Intensive Care Service, Centro Hospitalar do Baixo Vouga, Aveiro, Portugal
4 Nursing Department, Escola Superior de Saúde Norte da Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa/CINTESIS@RISE, Oliveira de Azeméis, Portugal

Aim: To measure the level of emotional intelligence in medical-surgical nursing specialist nurses.

Design: A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study.

Methods: Data were collected through a digital form comprising a questionnaire divided into two sections: first – sociodemographic and professional characterization; second – a Portuguese version of the Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale. The internal consistency of the instrument, measured by Cronbach’s alpha (unidimensional), was 0.878. Data were collected between 27 January and 16 March 2023. A non-probability convenience sampling technique was used to enroll the participants.

Results: The final sample consisted of 168 medical-surgical nursing specialist nurses. Their mean emotional intelligence score was 105.28 points, with a standard deviation of 10.56 points. The variables academic degree (p = 0.002) and gender (p = 0.035) showed a statistically significant association with the total emotional intelligence score.

Conclusion: This study allowed to measure the level of emotional intelligence in medical-surgical nursing specialist nurses, yielding high mean scores. Nevertheless, it is essential to invest in strategies for the acquisition of emotional intelligence skills by professionals with low mean scores.

Keywords: emotional intelligence, medical-surgical nursing, nursing care, nurses, Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale

Received: February 22, 2024; Revised: July 25, 2024; Accepted: July 25, 2024; Prepublished online: August 21, 2024; Published: September 10, 2024  Show citation

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Teixeira SL, Azevedo Moutinho PF, Catarina Pereira Pinto A, da Mota LAN. Level of emotional intelligence in medical-surgical nursing specialist nurses. Central European Journal of Nursing and Midwifery. 2024;15(3):1158-1165. doi: 10.15452/cejnm.2024.15.0014.
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