Significance and assessment of emotional intelligence of nurses

Abstract

Emotional intelligence and health care are closely linked. Empathy is regarded as one of key dimensions of emotional intelligence. The nursing profession has numerous general, but also generic, competencies which requires not only technical knowledge, but also psychological support in everyday work. The aim of this review paper is to point out the importance of assessing the emotional intelligence of nurses on the basis of recent data from the literature. There are many challenges and various sufferings that many health workers are exposed to, especially nurses, which clearly indicates the necessary fact, ie. requires a high degree of emotional skills and competence, because the more complex the job, the more important emotional intelligence. High self-awareness, self-control, the ability to cope with feelings are just some of the competencies that nurses/ technicians should possess. All these characteristics are important factors of emotional intelligence and a basic prerequisite for providing empathy. There are numerous tests and instruments used to assess emotional intelligence.

Keywords

• nurses
• emotional intelligence
• assessment
• empathy
• communication