Role of Emotional Intelligence in Stress Management of Healthcare Professionals - Literature Review

Abstract

Emotional intelligence is the ability of an individual to understand one’s own emotions and that of others and use them in the right way to guide one’s actions and thinking. The healthcare sector is one of the largest employing sectors that poses high demanding needs to the professionals like long working hours, emotional demands, patient demands and expectations which in turn causes a stressful work environment. To manage both the occupational and personal stressors these noble professionals need to adapt strategies and interventions. This paper is an attempt to identify the role of emotional intelligence in the stress management practices of the healthcare professionals like doctors, nurses, paramedical workers, technicians, etc. Goals and aims: The main objective of the study is to understand the role of emotional intelligence in different sectors specifically emphasise its role in managing stress levels of healthcare employees and suggest interventions and strategies for stress management. Methodology: A comprehensive review-based study to discover the role of emotional intelligence in the stress management practices of healthcare employees is attempted across different countries. Results: The integrative reviews pointed out that employees with higher emotional intelligence levels experienced less stress in their work and exhibited better performance in their work in various sectors including the healthcare industry. It is evident that emotional intelligence can act as an influencer to lessen the stress levels of employees. Conclusion: The study identifies the need for developing emotional competencies like an individual’s emotional awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills to produce visible results in enhancing the employees' productivity, quality of work life, job satisfaction, reduced stress levels, empathy, better communication and decision-making skills in achieving both individual and professional growth.