Interdisciplinary teamwork: is the influence of emotional intelligence fully appreciated?

Emotional intelligence, leadership, and work teams: A hybrid literature review

Emotional intelligence (EI) has been widely researched in different fields of knowledge. This paper reviews the literature on emotional intelligence, leadership, and teams in 104 peer-reviewed articles and reviews provided by the Web of Science and Scopus databases from 1998 to 2022. It is a hybrid or mixed review as it uses both quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques. The aims of this study are a performance analysis of the selected documents (years of publication, country, sectors, techniques used, most cited authors, authors with more publications, journals, journal quartiles, and scope of publication), as well as a co-word analysis using Atlas. ti v8. The results of the quantitative analysis indicate that the majority are empirical works. The qualitative analysis is a co-word analysis providing the following results: (i) classification of authors by major themes-categories (EI, leadership, team), (ii) classification of themes within each major theme: three subcategories in EI, 17 subcategories in leadership, and 19 subcategories in team and, lastly, (iii) classification according to the chronological development of main objectives from the most cited authors' articles we analyzed. Leadership (transformational, emergence, virtual, effective, health, effectiveness) is the major theme we studied. Our in-depth review of the articles has shown that emotionally intelligent leaders improve both behaviors and business results and have an impact on work team performance. It also highlighted a positive relationship between emotional competence and team members' attitudes about work. The new trends focus on the impacts of COVID19, the global crisis due to the Ukraine War, working in VUCA and BANI environments, comparative studies between generations, the application of artificial intelligence and the influence of mindfulness on organizations.

Divergence and Convergence of the Public Health Leadership Competency Framework Against Others in Undergraduate Medical Education: A Scoping Review

Objective: The following scoping review is aimed at identifying leadership competency frameworks in Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) by analyzing the thematic scopes, target audiences, and methods involved. A further objective is to compare the frameworks against a standard framework. Methods: The authors extracted the thematic scope and methods of each framework based on the original author's formulations in each selected paper. The target audience was divided into three sections: UME, medical education, and beyond medical education. The frameworks were converged and diverged against the public health leadership competency framework. Results: Thirty-three frameworks covering thematic scopes such as refugees and migrants were identified. The most common methods to develop leadership frameworks were reviews and interviews. The courses targeted multiple disciplines including medicine and nurses. The identified competency frameworks have not converged among important domains of leadership such as systems thinking, political leadership, leading change, and emotional intelligence. Conclusion: There is a variety of frameworks that support leadership in UME. Nevertheless, they are not consistent in vital domains to face worldwide health challenges. Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary leadership competency frameworks which address health challenges should be used in UME.

Effects of Emotional Intelligence Training on Symptom Severity in Patients With Depressive Disorders

Depressive disorders affect individual's thoughts, feelings, and social interactions. Enhancing emotional competencies of depressed individuals may alleviate their suffering. Purpose: This study aimed to compare depression severity and emotional intelligence before and after emotional intelligence training in patients with depressive disorders. Methods: A nonrandomized trial (one-group pretest-posttest) research design was applied to 69 patients purposively recruited. The patients' sociodemographic and clinical data were collected. The Beck Depression Inventory-II and Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form were completed before and immediately after an 8-weeks of focused weekly group training. Results: A significant improvement in the scores of well-being, self-control, emotionality, and sociability; total emotional intelligence scores; and total depression scores was perceived after training (Z = 5.601, 4.398, 5.686, and 3.516; 4.943; and 2.387, respectively). Implications for Nursing Practice: As emotional intelligence can be learned; it may be a target for interventions when dealing with patients with depressive disorders by strengthening their emotional intelligence.

Sharing the Same Reality, Healthy Relations Between Colleagues at Work: A Meta-Synthesis

Introduction

Good relations are important at work, leading to well-being among coworkers. Since the latest research in nursing is mostly about bullying, and lateral violence, it was important to study what healthy relations mean.

Objectives

The aim was to identify and synthesize qualitative studies that describe healthy relations, creating health and well-being between colleagues at work.

Methods

A meta-synthesis approach, inspired by Sherwood's steps of analysis, was chosen for this study. Ten articles from three continents, comprising 230 participants, were included.

Results

Two themes were identified as follows: (a) creating a mutual bond on a personal level and a permissive atmosphere through the human warmth; and (b) sharing togetherness in a greater whole, offering unconditional help and devoting themselves to taking care of each other. An overarching metaphor implicating the home/homeness was abstracted from the two themes: "Healthy relations between colleagues at work constitute the community as a common world, containing feelings of being at home, implying acting in an expression of the ethos and dignity, a culture created that makes the ideal form of healthy relations visible."

Conclusion

Nurses find their meaning when they work in a permissive environment, and when they are allowed to be themselves. Such meaning can be found through their engagement with one another, by offering each other unconditional help. Good relationships lead to a place they call their home, where there is trust and friendship.

The effect of transactional analysis training on emotional intelligence in health professions students

BACKGROUND

Emotional intelligence (EI) is considered to present a significant predictor of work performance whereas Transactional analysis (TA) is the relational perspective in communication in managing emotions. We evaluated the effect of psycho-educational training in EI and TA (TEITA) on EI among health professions undergraduates, with post-training, and at 1-month follow-up.

METHODS

A total of 34 participants participated in the study where 17 participants were in the TEITA group and another 17 were in the control group. A quasi-experimental non-randomised, controlled cohort study was conducted, in which participants in the TEITA group were introduced to EI and TA concepts on a weekly basis for four weeks, at 90 min each time, and provided with opportunities for experiential sharing of emotions and coping mechanisms experienced in the previous week. Both TEITA and control groups received weekly EI and TA reading materials. All completed the 16-item Wong and Law EI Scale at baseline and post-training. The training group also completed the questionnaire at a 1-month follow-up. Wilcoxon Signed Ranks and Mann Whitney tests were used to analyse within a group and between group changes in EI scores.

RESULTS

Baseline EI scores in the TEITA group were lower than the control group. On completion of TEITA, EI scores in the TEITA group increased, and differences were not detected between groups. Within the TEITA group, paired increases in all domains were statistically significant, whereas, in the control group, the paired increase was only detected in the domain addressing regulations of emotion (ROE). Pre to post-training increases in EI scores were statically significantly greater in TEITA compared to control groups. At the 1-month follow-up, EI scores were sustained.

CONCLUSION

The psycho-educational training based on EI and TA is effective in enhancing EI among health professions undergraduates. Future research should investigate the effect of such training on observable inter-personal and socio-economic behaviours.

Validating a Novel Emotional Intelligence Instrument for Resident Physicians

To construct and validate a scale of emotional intelligence (EI) for the medical field, n = 80 resident physicians responded to a 69-item self-report measure during the pilot phase of development of the Scale of Emotional Functioning: Medicine (SEF:MED). Based on multiple-phase item and structural analyses, a final 36-item version was created based on data from n = 321 respondent residents. Initially exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported the expected three-factor solution as did additional CFA from a second sample of n = 113 participants. Internal consistency reliabilities obtained from the original n = 321 residents for the three SEF:MED subscales of Interpersonal Skills (IS), Emotional Awareness (EA), and Emotional Management (EM) were 0.81, 0.82, and 0.84, respectively. Alphas for the second CFA data set were 0.89, 0.87, and 0.88 for IS, EM, and EA, respectively. In addition, the SEF:MED was validated by comparing it to related measures (i.e., the Profile of Emotional Competence (PEC) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey for Medical Personnel [MBI-HSS (MP)]); Correlation coefficients between the Total EI composite on the SEF:MED and the PEC global scales ranged from r = 0.64 to 0.68. Finally, correlation coefficients from the Total EI composite on the SEF:MED significantly related to the MBI-HSS (MP) Emotional Exhaustion (EE), Depersonalization (DP), and Personal Accomplishment (PA) scales (r = -0.50, -0.44, and 0.52, respectively). The SEF:MED may provide useful data to physicians and other medical professionals as they consider their own well-being and how it may affect care of their patients.

Emotional intelligence and its impacts on the clinical performance of nurses in general public hospitals

Objectives

The nursing profession is considered to be at a high risk of workplace stress, workload, and burnout due to the high job demands. The nurses require the appropriate and prompt coping mechanisms to relieve the effects of stress. The nurses have to be emotionally intelligent to overcome the work-related stress to meet the clinical-based duties. But there is a paucity of the effect of emotional intelligence (EI) on the clinical performance of nurses in the literature. Therefore, the role of dimensions of EI in the improvement of clinical performance of nurses was explored in this study.

Methods

A total of 194 nurses with different education levels and experiences were included from various clinical departments and shifts of public hospitals in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Results

The mean age of the nurses was 29.44 years, with ages ranging from 23 years to 36 years. The nurses were men (56.70%), married (53.10%), non-smokers (86.10%), physically active (55.70%), and irregular physically active (63.90%). Nurses were able to appraise their own emotions but not the emotions of other nurses. They regulated their own emotions but were weak in regulating the emotions of other nurses. They did not utilize emotions in coming up with new ideas and facing obstacles in clinical settings. Generally, the nurses reported that a little clinical performance is required in medical settings. The levels of interpersonal communication and problem solving were improved with an increasing appraisal and regulating own emotions. The level of problem solving was improved with appraising own emotions and utilizing emotions in facing obstacles.

Conclusions

Nurses need to know how to regulate others’ emotions and utilize these emotions in coming up with new ideas and facing the obstacles positively in medical settings.

Confounding Factors Affecting the Emotional Intelligence Amongst Jordanian Nursing and Midwifery Undergraduate Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic's Outbreak: A Cross-Sectional Study Using USMEQ-i

Objective: This aim of this study was to determine which variables from the demographic data most affect the EI regarding the COVID-19 outbreak and the lockdown amongst the nursing and midwifery students in Jordan. Background: Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to recognize, express, comprehend, motivate, influence and regulate emotions proposed the first EI model, which includes three constructs: emotion assessment and expression, emotion consumption and emotion control. During the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown, face-to-face study methods have been replaced by online teaching, which has caused many psychological effects. Method: A cross-sectional approach was used to measure EI for nursing and midwifery students. The tool was completed online by nursing and midwifery students using Google Forms. All of the findings were received online and then analyzed accordingly. In this study, USMEQ-i was used to gather data from the participants. Results: The general EI score for the student respondents falls into the average score (M = 39.6). Regarding the difference between males and females, the results showed no significant difference. Moreover, the general linear regressions analysis of independent variables on EI score showed four significant factors. Nursing students who study in Years 1 and 4 had significantly higher EI scores than those in Years 2 and 3. EI ability decreased when a student's economic status changed from luxurious to middle income. Moreover, an increase in age significantly decreased the value of EI. This study indicates that all nursing and midwifery students who enrolled in general nursing program tended to have higher EI scores than others (p = 0.006). Conclusion: Year of study, age, average lifestyle and enrollment in a nursing program were found to be the most significant factors associated with EI amongst Jordanian nursing and midwifery students. This issue needs to be researched further, such that appropriate steps can be taken to address it.

Emotional Intelligence and Work Perceptions Among Nurse Managers

Background

Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to a person's ability to acknowledge the feelings of oneself and others, and to control those feelings so as to behave in a socially acceptable manner. We investigated the relationships between the characteristics of EI among nurse managers, and their perceptions of how much their position's roles and responsibilities can be delegated to other staff members.

Methods

We surveyed 150 nurse managers working at 30 hospitals by using an anonymous questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of basic attributes, EI and work perception. The emotional intelligence scale (EQS) domain scores were analyzed by means of one-way repeated-measures analysis of variance. EQS scores were compared with corresponding averages for working adults in the instructions. The perceived importance of duties of nurse managers was compared between the resulting EQS scores 'High' and 'Low' groups.

Results

The analysis population consisted of 105 nurse managers. Their EQS scored higher in all three domains, and with the exception of Altruism for all factor scores than the average for working adults. The perceived importance of the typical duties of nurse managers were compared between the High and Low groups for each EQS domain. Significant differences were observed between nurse managers with High and Low Intrapersonal emotional quotient (EQ) on four tasks. No significant differences were found for any of the responsibilities when nurse managers with High and Low Interpersonal EQ or Situational EQ were compared.

Conclusion

The nurse managers' average EQS scores were higher in all areas. The high scores that were exhibited by could be considered desirable qualities for nurse managers. It seemed nurse managers with high scores in intrapersonal EQ struck a good balance between placing importance on EI considerations like managing relationships and creating a comfortable workplace, and management and leadership behaviors like department management and operations and data management.

The Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Job Performance During COVID-19 Crisis: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

BACKGROUND

During a pandemic, healthcare professionals encounter various health hazards that affect their personal life and workplace. Emotional intelligence (EI) has a substantial impact on nurses' success and performance in the healthcare industry. However, previous research studies report inconsistent findings regarding how different levels of EI affect job performance (JP), particularly during pandemics. The present study contributes to the literature on this contemporary topic by investigating the impact of EI on JP among nurses during COVID-19 crisis management in Saudi Arabia (SA).

METHODS

In a convenience sampling, 340 nurses from three tertiary hospitals completed an online survey assessing EI and JP during COVID-19 climax levels in March and April, 2020. Only nurses who had direct contact with patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were eligible. The Wong & Law EI scale (WLEIS) was used in a cross-sectional design to determine participants' EI. Empirically, JP was measured by the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire (IWPQ). Data analysis was performed using SPSS statistical software version 20.0 (IBM Corp).

RESULTS

Generally, nurses reported, out of a 5-point Likert scale, moderate to high levels of EI (M = 3.99, SD = 0.434). Nurses in critical care units demonstrated the highest levels of EI, followed by nurses in intensive care, neonatal intensive care, then general nurses. Nurses working in respiratory therapy demonstrated the lowest levels. Across all groups during crisis, nurses reported a significant impact of EI on JP (β = 0.389, p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Nurses reported satisfactory levels of EI, and most of their practices were aligned with national standards during COVID-19, but slightly in inverse to EI. However, more research is necessary to understand the greater impact of stressors influencing JP to the extent that levels of EI are no longer satisfactory.

The effect of an emotional intelligence component program on happiness in patients with epilepsy

Emotional intelligence is a psychological component that may affect happiness level in patients with epilepsy. Given the high prevalence of depression in patients with epilepsy, as well as the limitations of studies in this regard in Iran, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of an emotional intelligence component program on happiness in patients with epilepsy.

METHODS

This randomized clinical trial study conducted on 70 patients with epilepsy who were randomly divided into two experimental and control groups of 35 patients. Emotional Intelligence Training Based on Bar-On Combined Model was provided in eight 90-minute sessions for eight weeks. Data were collected using a two-part questionnaire: demographic data and the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ).

RESULTS

The mean age of the subjects was 33.3 ± 10.4 years in the intervention group and 34.4 ± 9.3 years in the control group. The independent t-test results showed no significant difference between the two groups before the intervention (p = 0.195). The Mann-Whitney test results showed a significant difference between the two groups after emotional intelligence training (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Overall, the findings of this study showed that emotional intelligence training led to improvement of happiness in patients with epilepsy. According to the results of the study, it is suggested that training based on emotional intelligence components be used as an approach to improve happiness level in patients with epilepsy.

Iranian Hospital Nurses' Lived Experiences of Emotional Intelligence: A Phenomenological Study

Emotional intelligence can help nurses improve their clients' satisfaction and health. The aim of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore Iranian hospital nurses' lived experiences of emotional intelligence. Data collection was done through holding ten in-depth semi-structured interviews with ten hospital nurses. Participants were recruited from hospitals affiliated with Hamedan University of Medical Sciences, Hamedan, Iran. Data analysis was done using Van Manen's ( 1997 ) six-step approach and resulted in the development of the main theme of normative interactive management and the following three subthemes of resorting to spiritualities, self-protection, and intelligent resilience.

Communication between therapists and nurses working in inpatient interprofessional teams: systematic review and meta-ethnography

Purpose: The aim of the synthesis was to develop a new understanding about the influences on communication in interprofessional teams from therapist and nurse perspectives.Methods: Six electronic databases were searched, combined with citation tracking and hand searching, yielded 3994 papers. Three researchers were involved in screening and quality appraisal, resulting in 18 papers for synthesis, using the process of meta-ethnography. Concepts were identified, compared and translated under five category headings. Two researchers mapped interpretative summaries and a line of argument was created.Results: The line of argument is that four inter-related contingences underpin effective communication between therapists and nurses. Effective communication depends on there being a genuine need to give and receive information for patient care, the capacity to attend to, hold, and use information, and opportunities to share space to enable communication to occur. The fourth contingency is good quality relationships and this is the glue that holds the contingencies together.Conclusion: This synthesis has provided an opportunity to illuminate how therapists and nurses accomplish interprofessional work through communication. The contingencies of need, capacity, opportunity, and quality of relationships create a new structure for understanding what underpins communication between these two groups.Implications for RehabilitationNeed, capacity and opportunity should be understood as contingencies that underpin effective communication about patients, strongly centered on the fourth contingency, quality of relationships between professionals.Therapists and nurses should examine what information they genuinely need from each other to effectively conduct integrated care, from the perspective of both giving and receiving information.Consideration should be given to whether a culture of reciprocity might expand the capacity of professionals to attend to, hold and use the information they share about patients.Therapists and nurses should examine how the way they share space on the ward creates or limits their opportunities to communicate about patients and develop relationships.

Emotional intelligence and leadership traits among family physicians

OBJECTIVES

High emotional intelligence and leadership traits are essential for physicians in managing their responsibilities and thus building successful interactions with patients. This study explored the relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership traits among family physicians.

METHODS

Participants (2975 men, 972 women, mean = 42.0 ages, SD = 7.47) were family physicians working at family health-care centers across the seven geographical regions of Turkey who were contacted by e-mail. The Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue) and Leadership Traits Tool were used to collect data. Data were analyzed concerning physicians' sex, age, health-care experience, and geographical region. The correlation between Trait Emotional Intelligence (TEI) and leadership was also being examined.

RESULTS

Our findings suggest that family physicians' TEI differs based on sex, age, health-care experience, and the geographical region where they work. Women had higher mean values than did men for well-being, emotionality, and global TEI. Physicians aged younger than 29 years had the lowest mean values for emotional intelligence. As physicians' health-care experience increased, they received higher scores for emotional intelligence. Physicians working in the Mediterranean had the highest mean TEI scores. There was a positive correlation between family physicians' emotional intelligence and leadership traits. Higher emotional intelligence was correlated with increased leadership traits.

CONCLUSION

Emotional intelligence and leadership traits play crucial roles in increasing physicians' personal and professional development. This may also increase physicians' caregiving competencies and thus the quality of health services, as well as potentially decreasing physicians' burnout and health-related costs.

Emotional intelligence among medical students: a mixed methods study from Chennai, India

BACKGROUND

Emotional Intelligence is the ability of a person to understand and respond to one's own and others' emotions and use this understanding to guide one's thoughts and actions. To assess the level of emotional intelligence of medical students in a medical college in Chennai and to explore their understanding of the role of emotions in medical practice.

METHODS

A quantitative, cross sectional, questionnaire based, survey was conducted among 207 medical students in a college in Chennai, India using the Quick Emotional Intelligence Self Assessment Test and some hypothetical emotional clinical vignettes. This was followed by a qualitative moderated fish-bowl discussion to elicit the opinion of medical students on role of emotions in the practice of medicine.

RESULTS

The mean score of Emotional Intelligence was 107.58 (SD 16.44) out of a maximum possible score of 160. Students who went to government schools for high school education had greater emotional intelligence than students from private schools (p = 0.044) and women were more emotionally intelligent in their response to emotional vignettes than men (p = 0.056). The fish bowl discussion highlighted several positive and negative impacts of emotions in clinical care. The students concluded at the end of the discussion that emotions are inevitable in the practice of medicine and a good physician should know how to handle them.

CONCLUSIONS

Medical students, both men and women, had good level of emotional intelligence in the college that was studied. Students from collectivist social settings like government high schools have better emotional intelligence, which may indicate that a collectivist, community oriented medical education can serve the same purpose. Though students have diverse opinions on the role of emotions in clinical care, cognitive reflection exercises can help them understand its importance.

Emotional Intelligence: An Old Issue and a New Look in Clinical Teaching

In this paper, a novel model of clinical teachers with social and emotional competency which is emphasized on the importance of clinical teacher's social and emotional competence is presented. In this model, we supposed that a teacher with social and emotional competence can manage her/his emotions and has the ability to personal development and well-being. Such teacher has the competency of empathy, communication with the patients, teamwork, and collaboration to provide successful patient-centered care and relationship-centered care. He/she will be success in clinical supervision, role modeling, and mentoring by providing appropriate relationship with students. This teacher can influence and build bonds that will be effective for clinical management and leadership. In addition, it will affect the hidden and informal curriculum with the awareness of the context. These factors establish an appropriate learning environment to achieve students’ academic, professional, social, and emotional outcomes and create an appropriate health care environment that influences the successful care of patient and patient's satisfaction. We reviewed a broad body of research to support our proposed model and finally proposed agendas for future research.

The role of emotion in clinical decision making: an integrative literature review

BACKGROUND

Traditionally, clinical decision making has been perceived as a purely rational and cognitive process. Recently, a number of authors have linked emotional intelligence (EI) to clinical decision making (CDM) and calls have been made for an increased focus on EI skills for clinicians. The objective of this integrative literature review was to identify and synthesise the empirical evidence for a role of emotion in CDM.

METHODS

A systematic search of the bibliographic databases PubMed, PsychINFO, and CINAHL (EBSCO) was conducted to identify empirical studies of clinician populations. Search terms were focused to identify studies reporting clinician emotion OR clinician emotional intelligence OR emotional competence AND clinical decision making OR clinical reasoning.

RESULTS

Twenty three papers were retained for synthesis. These represented empirical work from qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods approaches and comprised work with a focus on experienced emotion and on skills associated with emotional intelligence. The studies examined nurses (10), physicians (7), occupational therapists (1), physiotherapists (1), mixed clinician samples (3), and unspecified infectious disease experts (1). We identified two main themes in the context of clinical decision making: the subjective experience of emotion; and, the application of emotion and cognition in CDM. Sub-themes under the subjective experience of emotion were: emotional response to contextual pressures; emotional responses to others; and, intentional exclusion of emotion from CDM. Under the application of emotion and cognition in CDM, sub-themes were: compassionate emotional labour - responsiveness to patient emotion within CDM; interdisciplinary tension regarding the significance and meaning of emotion in CDM; and, emotion and moral judgement.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinicians' experienced emotions can and do affect clinical decision making, although acknowledgement of that is far from universal. Importantly, this occurs in the in the absence of a clear theoretical framework and educational preparation may not reflect the importance of emotional competence to effective CDM.

An exploration of experts' perceptions on the use of interprofessional education to support collaborative practice in the care of community-living older adults

Globally, as older adults are living longer and with more chronic conditions, there is a need to support their ability to age optimally in their homes and communities. Community-based interprofessional teams working closely with these older adults, their families, and informal caregivers will be instrumental in achieving this goal. Interprofessional education (IPE) is the means through which these teams can develop expertise in collaboratively working together with older adults. However, most IPE occurs in academic settings, and acute and long-term care sectors and little is known about IPE in the context of home and community care of older adults. The purpose of this study was to describe perceptions of academic and practice experts related to the current state of IPE in home and community care of older adults and the changes that are necessary to meet the future needs of practitioners and older adults. Using a qualitative descriptive design, interviews were conducted with 32 national and international key informants representing practitioners, educators, researchers, and health system decision-makers in the field of IPE. Thematic analysis of the data identified six themes: (a) client and family-centred care at the core of IPE, (b) the community as a unique learning setting across the learning continuum; (c) an aging-relevant IPE curriculum; (d) faculty commitment and resources for IPE; (e) technological innovation to support IPE; and (f) comprehensive IPE programme evaluation and research. These findings are explored through the lens of an interprofessional learning continuum model. The article concludes with a discussion of the study implications for IPE practice and research specifically in the care of community-living older adults.

Ability emotional intelligence of nurse managers in the Midwestern United States

Objective:

The aim of this study was to describe the emotional intelligence (EI) and examine the corresponding demographic characteristics of front-line Nurse Managers in acute care settings.

Methods:

This quantitative descriptive study was conducted in eight acute care hospitals in the Midwestern United States. The Mayer–Salovey–Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) was used to measure the EI of 87 front-line Nurse Managers. Demographic characteristics of the participants were captured on a second tool, the Nurse Manager Demographic Characteristics questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for analysis.

Results:

Significant correlations were found between the perceiving and using branches of the model and total EI score and nurses certified in a specialty. No significant correlations were found between EI and graduate education, age, years in management, percentage of time in management or number of direct reports. Considerations for future research are discussed.

Conclusions:

Opportunity exists to develop EI in front-line Nurse Managers.

Evidence of a shared purpose, critical reflection, innovation and leadership in interprofessional healthcare teams: a realist synthesis

Realist synthesis is a theory-driven approach for evaluating complex interventions using empirical evidence, which seeks an explanatory analysis of who a complex intervention works for, how, why, and in what circumstances. Interprofessional teamworking in healthcare is one such complex intervention, as teams are influenced by social and organizational factors, which makes them highly variable and context dependent. This article concludes a series of four articles that report on a realist synthesis of interprofessional teamworking. The synthesis identified 13 mechanisms that are reported in the literature to be the underlying processes through which interprofessional teamworking produces its effects. This article explores four of these mechanisms: a shared purpose; critical reflection; innovation; and leadership. These mechanisms together explain how a team sets and maintains its focus and direction. This article highlights that whilst many assumptions are made within the healthcare literature about how these mechanisms operate within teams, these assumptions are not always founded upon strong empirical evidence.

Nurse managers' perceptions related to their leadership styles, knowledge, and skills in these areas-a viewpoint: case of health centre wards in Finland

The purpose of this study was to explore nurse managers' perceptions related to their leadership styles, knowledge, and their skills in these areas in health centre wards in Finland. The data were collected from nurse managers (n = 252) in health centre hospitals in Finland using a structured questionnaire (response rate 63%). Six leadership styles—visionary, coaching, affiliate, democratic, commanding, and isolating—were reflected on. Almost all respondents in every age group considered four leadership styles—visionary, coaching, affiliate, and democratic—to be very important or important. Nurse managers estimated their knowledge and skills in leadership styles to be essentially fairly sufficient or sufficient. Nurse managers' abilities to reflect, understand, and, if necessary, change their leadership style influence the work unit's success and employees' job satisfaction. Nurse managers, especially new nurse managers, need more theoretic, evidence-based education to cope with these expectations and to develop their professional abilities. Together with universities, health care organizations should start planning nurse manager education programmes that focus on strategic issues, leadership, job satisfaction, challenging situations in leadership, change management, work unit management (e.g., economy, efficiency, and resources), and how the nurse managers consider their own wellbeing.

Studying multidisciplinary teams in the Irish Republic: the conceptual wrangle

PURPOSE

This paper addresses the conceptual wrangle that occurred during the initial stages of a grounded theory doctoral study into the nature of moral distress within multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) working within the acute mental health services in the Republic of Ireland.

DESIGN AND METHODS

While grounded theory methodology directs that face sheet data (biographical details) are not collected unless they emerge as significant events within the data, practitioners within this study were asked to describe the structure, formulation, and practice of their team prior to interview, in order to establish the field of study.

FINDINGS

Early analysis of the responses revealed that of 32 multidisciplinary members interviewed, none agreed on structure, formulation, and practice of their MDT.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

This finding suggests that caution needs to be taken in assuming a common understanding of the concept of MDT in research, policy formation, and team development.

Preparing emotionally intelligent doctor of nursing practice leaders

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) identified the need for interdisciplinary teams that collaborate, communicate, and integrate care across settings to improve health care delivery. Focusing on innovative strategies that address leadership skills in graduate nursing education could have an effect on interdisciplinary partnerships, transformation of patient care, and new styles of leadership to change current practice models. In response to the IOM guidelines, we incorporated emotional intelligence as a component in our Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) leadership curriculum. This article describes a new action-oriented leadership model that prepares the DNP graduate for leadership roles to serve the public and the nursing discipline during a time of radical changes in health care. Behavioral profile, nontraditional readings, and online discussions form the basis of the model. The principles and strategies in this article can be applied to nursing education in multiple arenas, at both the undergraduate and graduate settings.

An exploration of the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and the Multiple Mini-Interview (MMI)

The present study explored the relationship between the Multiple Mini-Interview (MMI) admissions process and the Bar-On EQ-i emotional intelligence (EI) instrument in order to investigate the potential for the EQ-i to serve as a proxy measure to the MMI. Participants were 196 health science candidates who completed both the MMI and the EQ-i as part of their admissions procedure at the Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences. Three types of analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between the two tools: reliability analyses, correlational analyses, and a t-test. The tools were found to be moderately reliable. No significant relationships were found between the MMI and the EQ-i at the total or subscale level. The ability of the EQ-i to discriminate between accepted and not-accepted students was also not supported. These findings do not support the use of the EQ-i as a potential pre-screening tool for the MMI, but rather highlight the need to exercise caution when using emotional intelligence instruments for high-stakes admissions purposes.

Nurse staffing levels and teamwork: a cross-sectional study of patient care units in acute care hospitals

PURPOSE

To determine if nurse staffing predicts teamwork.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional, descriptive design with a sample of nursing staff (N = 2,545) on 52 patient care units in four hospitals was utilized.

METHODS

The Nursing Teamwork Survey was utilized to collect data on the level of perceived nursing teamwork on each of the study units. In addition, nursing staffing data were collected for each study unit.

FINDINGS

Higher levels of nurse staffing were related to better teamwork. Specifically, the greater the hours per patient day, the higher the level of overall teamwork on the unit (β = 0.417, p = .033). Also the greater the skill mix, the higher the level of overall teamwork on the unit (β = 0.436, p = .009).

CONCLUSIONS

Adequate levels of staffing are needed to ensure nursing teamwork.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

The ability to provide quality and safe care is associated with teamwork, which in turn requires adequate staffing.

The state of the science of emotional intelligence related to nursing leadership: an integrative review

AIM

To explore the state of the science of emotional intelligence (EI) related to nursing leadership and its critiques.

BACKGROUND

The phenomenon of EI has emerged as a potential new construct of importance for nursing leadership that enhances educational, organizational, staff and patient outcomes. Nevertheless, important questions and critical reflections related to exaggerated claims, conceptualizations and measurements exist.

METHOD

A literature search was conducted using international databases covering the period January 1999 to December 2009. A manual search of relevant journals and significant references increased the data.

RESULTS

Critical reflection seems to be associated with the unsubstantiated predictive validity of EI in the area of nursing leadership. In addition, important moral issues are called into question.

CONCLUSIONS

It is important to possess in-depth knowledge of EI and its scientific critique when integrating the concept into nursing research, education and practical settings. More attention to the nature of emotion in EI is necessary. Implications for nursing leadership The dynamics of EI should be explored in the context of both the surrounding environment and individual differences, as the latter can be adaptive in some settings but harmful in others.

Auditing an organization's interprofessional learning and interprofessional practice: the interprofessional praxis audit framework (IPAF)

Interprofessional learning (IPL) and interprofessional practice (IPP) are strategies for healthcare services' striving to improve patient care. While health professionals are enacting IPL and IPP, the capacity to understand and comprehensively map IPL and IPP activities has remained elusive. Additionally, understanding and accounting for the impact of organizational context and culture on IPL and IPP requires attention. This paper presents the "interprofessional praxis audit framework" (IPAF), which is a unique tool to address these two issues. The IPAF comprises five components: context, culture, conduct, attitudes and information. Conjoined, the components facilitate examination of an organization's enactment of IPL and IPP. Utilized within an action research methodology, the IPAF enables a synchronized inspection, whereby similarities and differences of the components are considered simultaneously, and the knowledge developed is used to promote change projects to improve patient care.

Emotional intelligence in medicine: a systematic review through the context of the ACGME competencies

OBJECTIVES

Emotional intelligence (EI) involves the perception, processing, regulation and management of emotions. This article aims to systematically review the evidence for EI in medicine through the context of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) competencies.

METHODS

MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for English-language articles published between January 1980 and March 2009. The grey literature was also searched and experts in the field contacted for additional studies. Two independent reviewers selected articles which reported empirical research studies about clinicians or medical students. Conceptual articles and opinion pieces and commentaries were excluded. Information about the measure used to assess EI, the study parameter or domain, and the educational or clinical outcome (with specific relation to the ACGME competencies) was extracted.

RESULTS

The literature search identified 485 citations. An abstract review led to the retrieval of 24 articles for full-text assessment, of which 16 articles were included in the final review. Eleven studies focused on postgraduates, four on undergraduates and one on medical school applicants. Six out of seven studies found women to have higher EI than men. Higher EI was reported to positively contribute to the doctor-patient relationship (three studies), increased empathy (five studies), teamwork and communication skills (six studies), and stress management, organisational commitment and leadership (three studies).

CONCLUSIONS

Measures of EI correlate with many of the competencies that modern medical curricula seek to deliver. Further research is required to determine whether training can improve EI and thus augment educational and clinical outcomes.

Moving interprofessional learning forward through formal assessment

CONTEXT

There is increasing agreement that graduates who finish tertiary education with the full complement of skills and knowledge required for their designated profession are not 'work-ready' unless they also acquire interpersonal, collaborative practice and team-working capabilities. Health workers are unable to contribute to organisational culture in a positive way unless they too attain these capabilities. These capabilities have been shown to improve health care in terms of patient safety, worker satisfaction and health service efficiency. Given the importance of interprofessional learning (IPL) which seeks to address these capabilities, why is IPL not consistently embedded into the education of undergraduates, postgraduates and vocationally qualified personnel through formal assessment?

METHODS

This paper offers an argument for the formal assessment of IPL. It illustrates how the interests of the many stakeholders in IPL can benefit from, and contribute to, the integration of IPL into mainstream professional development and tertiary education. It offers practical examples of assessment in IPL which could drive learning and offer authentic, contextual teaching and learning experiences to undergraduates and health workers alike.

CONCLUSIONS

Assessment drives learning and without formal assessment IPL will continue to be viewed as an optional topic of little relative importance for learners. In order to make the next step forward, IPL needs to be recognised and endorsed through formal assessment, both at the tertiary education level and within the workplace environment. This is supported by workforce initiatives and tertiary education policy which can be used to specify the capabilities or generic skills necessary for effective teamwork and collaborative practice.

Stressful intensive care unit medical crises: How individual responses impact on team performance

BACKGROUND

Intensive care units (ICUs) are recognized as stressful environments. However, the conditions in which stressors may affect health professionals' performance and well-being and the conditions that potentially lead to impaired performance and staff psychological distress are not well understood.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to determine healthcare professionals' perceptions regarding the factors that lead to stress responses and performance impairments during ICU medical crises.

DESIGN

A qualitative study in a university-affiliated ICU in Canada.

METHODOLOGY

We conducted 32 individual semistructured interviews of ICU nurses, staff physicians, residents, and respiratory therapists in a university-affiliated hospital. The transcripts of the audiotaped interviews were analyzed using an inductive thematic methodology.

RESULTS

Increased workload, high stakes, and heavy weight of responsibility were recognized as common stressors during ICU crises. However, a high level of individual and team resources available to face such demands was also reported. When the patient's condition was changing or deteriorating unpredictably or when the expected resources were unavailable, crises were assessed by some team members as threatening, leading to individual distress. Once manifested, this emotional distress was strongly contagious to other team members. The ensuing collective anxiety was perceived as disruptive for teamwork and deleterious for individual and collective performance.

CONCLUSIONS

Individual distress reactions to ICU crises occurred in the presence of unexpectedly high demands unmatched by appropriate resources and were contagious among other team members. Given the high uncertainty surrounding many ICU medical crises, strategies aimed at preventing distress contagion among ICU health professionals may improve team performance and individual well-being.

Emotionally intelligent nurse leadership: a literature review study

AIM

To establish a synthesis of the literature on the theoretical and empirical basis of emotional intelligence and it's linkage to nurse leadership, focusing on subjective well-being and professional development.

BACKGROUND

Emotional intelligence has been acknowledged in the literature as supporting nurse leadership that fosters a healthy work environment, creating inspiring relationships based on mutual trust. Nurse leaders who exhibit characteristics of emotional intelligence enhance organizational, staff and patient outcomes.

METHOD

A literature search was undertaken using international data bases covering the period January 1997 to December 2007. Eighteen articles were included in this integrative review and were thoroughly reviewed by both authors.

RESULTS

Emotional intelligence was associated with positive empowerment processes as well as positive organizational outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Emotionally intelligent nurse leadership characterized by self-awareness and supervisory skills highlights positive empowerment processes, creating a favourable work climate characterized by resilience, innovation and change.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Emotional intelligence cannot be considered a general panacea, but it may offer new ways of thinking and being for nurse leaders, as it takes the intelligence of feelings more seriously by continually reflecting, evaluating and improving leadership and supervisory skills.