The Relationship Between the Emotional Intelligence and Clinical Decision Making Among Nursing Students

Abstract

Introduction Emotional intelligence is a crucial factor in managing stress and maintaining overall well-being. Emotions are essential for clinical care quality, as they drive clinical decision making. Objective The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between emotional intelligence and clinical decision making among fourth-year nursing students. Methods The study was a cross-sectional study done on a convenience sample of 225 fourth-year nursing students. Data collection was performed by the “Schutte Self Report Emotional Intelligence Test” (SSEIT) and the “clinical decision making scale”. Results The analysis revealed that the emotional intelligence mean was 151.3 ± 1.9 (ranging from 33 to 165), which is high. The analysis indicated that the clinical decision making of the participants was high (177.1.3 ± 9.8) (ranging from 40 to 200). Also, the analysis showed that there was a strong positive relationship between nursing students’ emotional intelligence and clinical decision making (r = .70, p = 0.001). Furthermore, the findings revealed that emotional intelligence was a predictor of clinical decision making. Conclusion The emotional intelligence and clinical decision making among fourth-year nursing students were high. Also, clinical decision making was found to have strong positive relationship with emotional intelligence.