How can emotional intelligence be developed in nurses to improve patient care?

Developing Emotional Intelligence in Nurses to Improve Patient Care

Nurses should develop emotional intelligence through structured training in empathic communication, stress management, and cognitive empathy skills, as these competencies directly improve humanization of care, reduce burnout, and enhance therapeutic relationships with patients. 1

Core Components of Emotional Intelligence Development

Empathic Communication Training

Nurses must learn to recognize and respond to both verbal and nonverbal emotional cues from patients through structured communication skills training. 2 This includes:

• Naming emotions explicitly when patients display distress (e.g., "You seem sad today" or "I can see this is not what you wanted to hear") 2
• Using NURSE mnemonic responses: Naming, Understanding, Respecting, Supporting, and Exploring emotional states 2
• Employing simple and complex reflections to demonstrate empathy and build connection with patients 2
• Holding silence until patients are ready to resume speaking, allowing emotional processing 2

The evidence shows that empathic communication is comprised of recognizing patients' implicit and explicit expression of negative emotions and providing empathic responses that explicitly acknowledge patient affect and emotional states. 2

Stress and Mood Management Skills

Mood regulation and stress management explain over half (51%) of the variability in humanization of care among nurses, making these the highest priority training targets. 1

• Cognitive empathy serves as a mediating factor between stress management and improved patient care outcomes 1
• Self-compassion training enhances emotional intelligence (r = 0.55 correlation), enabling nurses to be compassionate toward patients without experiencing burnout 3
• Peer support structures and open communication channels must be established by nurse leaders to address moral distress before it leads to burnout 4

The research demonstrates that without adequate stress management competencies, nurses risk emotional exhaustion when providing prolonged or intense emotional labor. 5

Building Therapeutic Presence

Nurses should cultivate "therapeutic presence" through self-awareness training that enables recognition of nonverbal cues and provision of comfort. 2

This requires:

• Exaggerated facial expressions and conscious body language in both in-person and telehealth settings to convey empathy 2
• Active listening with minimal interruption, dedicating time to understand what patients want to know rather than following a predetermined agenda 2
• Partnership statements that convey nonabandonment (e.g., "I want to do what I can to help you feel better") 2

Patients report higher satisfaction when they perceive their nurse as caring, competent, and empathic, with these perceptions directly linked to the nurse's emotional intelligence skills. 2, 6

Structured Training Methods

Communication Skills Workshops

Intensive communication skills training produces enduring improvements in nurses' ability to support patient emotions and should be mandatory. 2

• Training must address the common pitfall that clinicians respond to only 28% of emotional cues compared to 72% of informational cues 2
• Role-playing with patient-actors and video recording review helps nurses practice empathic responses 2
• Teach-back methods should be incorporated to ensure nurses can verify patient understanding while maintaining emotional connection 2

Mindfulness and Reflection Programs

Individual reflection, mindfulness practices, and group sharing (such as Balint groups) develop the self-awareness necessary for emotional intelligence. 2

• Self-reflection through peer-to-peer coaching helps nurses process their own emotional responses to patient suffering 4
• Structured self-care programs increase awareness of negative emotions during ethically challenging situations 4

The evidence indicates that communication skill acquisition does not improve reliably with time or experience alone—deliberate training is essential. 2

Integration into Clinical Practice

Establishing Continuity of Care

Nurse-led telephone services and follow-up consultations enhance emotional intelligence application by providing ongoing opportunities to build therapeutic relationships. 2

• Continuity allows nurses to establish confidential, long-standing relationships that patients identify as critically important 2
• Regular contact enables nurses to identify and address psychosocial issues that minimize anxiety and depression 2

Comprehensive Disease Management Role

Nurses should participate in comprehensive disease management that combines clinical monitoring with psychosocial support, as this integration requires high emotional intelligence. 2

• Counseling on psychological issues depends on the nurse's emotional intelligence skills and ability to access support resources 2
• Supportive interventions delivered by appropriately trained professionals with empathic relationship skills improve both psychological and physical functioning 2

The research shows that specialized nursing interventions combining symptom management with emotional support decrease symptom distress, reduce hospital admissions, and improve patient satisfaction. 2

Critical Pitfalls to Avoid

Never assume emotional intelligence develops naturally with clinical experience—it requires deliberate, structured training. 2

Avoid providing clinical information when patients are in strongly emotional states, as they cannot absorb or process information effectively during heightened emotion. 2

Do not prioritize administrative and procedural aspects over humanization of care, as this leads to decreased emotional intelligence application despite technological advances. 1

Prevent burnout by implementing protective strategies early, as prolonged emotional labor without adequate emotional intelligence skills leads to compassion fatigue. 5

Organizational Support Requirements

Healthcare organizations must recognize emotional intelligence as a core nursing competency with professional, personal, and organizational implications. 7

• Nurse leaders should facilitate interprofessional collaboration to address ethical conflicts that create moral distress 4
• Access to continuous education in emotional intelligence should be provided to improve and maintain these skills 2
• Building a workplace culture driven by emotional intelligence application is a leadership responsibility, not an individual nurse's burden 6

The evidence demonstrates that emotional intelligence has positive and significant relationships with both nurses' work performance (R² = 0.657) and work engagement (R² = 0.621), making organizational investment in this training financially justified. 6