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Like it or not, emotions
are an intrinsic part of
our biological makeup
and every morning they march
into the office or workplace
with us and influence our
behaviour. Golman (2005)
mentions that emotional intelligence
(EI) or emotional
quotient (EQ) accounts for 80
percent of success and it outperforms
intelligence quotient
or cognitive intelligence
(IQ) in predicting academic
achievement. IQ is, of course
important; but having just
enough of it is not sufficient
to hold a given job and perform
well. Emotional intelligence
is in the heart of every
individual. Nursing is one service
profession that requires
a high degree of emotional
labour. As an example, the
nurses are expected to display
emotions that convey caring,
understanding and empathy
towards patients and their
loved ones.
EQ plays an important role
in forming successful relationship.
VonDietze & Orb
(2000) propose that it is important
for nurses to experience
compassion, because it affects
their decision-making and actions,
contributing to excellence
in the practice of nursing.
Similarly, Handerson
(2001) claims that emotional
involvement by nurses may
contribute to the quality care,
because majority perceive.
The author is Professor and Principal,
College of Nursing, CMC & Hospital,
Ludhiana (Punjab).
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emotional engagement as a
requirement of excellence in
nursing practice. Thus, it
seems that emotions are not
to be dismissed; but, rather,
have an important place in the
quality of care one can provide.
Evans & Allen (2002)
acknowledge that nurses’ ability
to manage their own emotions
and to understand those
of their patients is an asset in
providing care. Modern nursing
demands skill of EQ to
meet the need of direct patient
care and co-operative
negotiations with the multidisciplinary
team.
Emotional quotient also
helps to gain awareness and
control of one’s emotions in the
workplace. It can show how to
improve performance, personally
and professionally. A high
EQ can improve decision-making
by using one’s heart and not
just one’s head.
There are five areas of emotional
quotient: (i) Self-awareness;
(ii) Self regulations; (iii)
Motivation; (iv) Empathy; and
(v) Social-skills.
1. Self-awareness
The ability to recognise and
understand your moods, emotions
and drives as well as their
effect on others; e.g., I can
name my greatest strengths.
2. Self-regulation
The ability to control or redirect
destructible impulses and
moods and ability to suspend
judgement and thinking before
acting; e.g. I am calm even in
tense situations.
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3. Motivation
A passion to work for reasons
that go beyond monetary gains
or status and the ability to pursue
goals with energy and persistence;
e.g. I seek out innovative
ways of getting the jobs
done.
4. Empathy
The ability to understand emotional
make-up of other people;
e.g. I can sense someone’s true
feelings based on their body language.
5. Social Skills
The proficiency in managing
relationships and building networks;
e.g., I find it easy to establish
common ground with
somebody I have just met.
The nursing profession demands
the nurses, in the process
of care, to interact with the
patients, the medical fraternity
and the health-care workers
constantly. Hence, intra-personal
relationship is the pulse
of nursing practice. Nurses
should develop skills to assess
patients’ responses to illness by
means of self-awareness of the
events, empathy with patients,
and above all the genuine concern
for their well-being.
Factors that influence
nurses’ applications of emotional
intelligence include gender,
age and health condition of
the patients. For example, it is
difficult to properly interact
with an elderly patient with
impaired hearing or diminished
perception despite genuine willingness
on the part of the
nurses for the same, who have
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to find alternate interaction
non-verbal means like patientdirected
eye gaze, affirmative
head nod, smiling, leaning forward,
touch and instrumental
touch for the purpose – which
would come handy to the
nurses if they are emotionally
strong.
Anne (2004) concluded that
the modern day demands of
nursing depend on the skills of
emotional intelligence to
achieve a patient-centred
care. There is no doubt that
emotional intelligence in nursing
leads to more positive attitudes,
greater adaptability, improved
relationships and increased
orientation towards
positive values (Kristin &
Elisabeth, 2007). A clear relation
between emotional intelligence
and adaptive success
has been detected in nurses
caring for people with mental
retardation.
Emotional intelligence
plays a pivotal role in building
mental health of the nurses,
which in turn affects the quality
of nursing care being imparted
by them, as an emotionally
healthy nurse will always
perform better. A study conducted
with 180 Dutch nurses
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using the Bar-on-Emotional
Quotient Inventory, Utrecht-
Coping List, Utrecht-Burnout
Scale, MMPI-2, and GAMA has
revealed the importance of
emotional intelligence in reducing
nurse burnout (Linda
Gerits et.al, 2004). Kristin &
Elisabeth (2004) likewise conclude
their study with mental
health nurses that emotional
intelligence stimulates the
search for a deeper understanding
of a professional
mental health nursing identity.
It is therefore imperative
that due importance be given
to EQ in nursing training and
curriculum; as it provides the
ability to take optimal advantage
of one’s innate capabilities
by regulating and making
use of one’s own emotions;
which would add to the
strengths of the nursing professionals
and bring about
qualitative improvements in
the area of deliverance of
nursing care to the patients
as well as their interaction
with other members of healthcare
teams. The quality of relationships
within an
organisation significantly impacts
productivity or the quality
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of the product itself and
health care organisations are
no exception.
References
1. Anne CH, McQueen (2004). Emotional
intelligence in nursing work,
Journal of Advanced Nursing; 47
(1); 101-108
2. Goleman D (2005). Emotional Intelligence:
Correcting Common
Misconception about Emotional Intelligence,
London, Bloomsburry
Publishing
3. Henderson A (2001). Emotional
Labour & Nursing: An under appreciated
aspect of caring
work. Nursing Enquiry 8(2):
130-38
4. Kristin Akerjordet, Elisabeth
Severinsson (2004). Nurses Talking
about Practice. International
Journal of Mental Health Nursing;
13(3): 164-70
5. Kristin Akerjordet, Elizabeth
Severinsson (2007). Emotional intelligence:
A review of the literature
with specific focus on empirical
and epistemological perspectives.
Journal of Clinical
Nursing; 16(8): 1405-16
6. Linda Gerits, Jan Derksen,
Antoine Verbruggen (2004).
Emotional intelligence and adaptive
success of nurses caring for
people with mental retardation
and severe behavior problems.
Mental Retardation: 42(2): 106-
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7. Von Dietze E, Orb A (2000). Compassionate
care: A new dimension
of nursing. Nursing Enquiry 7(3):
166-74
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