Emotional Intelligence in the Operating Room Theater: An Investigation of the Social and Emotional Skills of Operating Room’s Nursing Staff and Surgeons

Introduction: Emotional intelligence (EI), as a set of traits and abilities related to emotion management, is likely to affect health professionals on their performance and interpersonal relationships. This field is wide and important and has not been sufficiently investigated in the field of health professionals. Aim: The aim of this study was to: (a) examine perceived EI of the operating room nurses and surgeons and (b) investigate the social and emotional skills that are considered very important for the operating room nurses and surgeons. Specifically, the study aims to investigate how surgeons perceive the social and emotional abilities of nurses and how the latter perceive the social and emotional abilities of surgeons. Material and Method: The study involved 56 health professionals; 28 were operating room nurses and 28 were surgeons. The Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS) was used to measure perceived EI. Moreover, a questionnaire consisted of 25 statements was used to assess which socioemotional skills are considered important for an emotionally intelligent nurse and an emotionally intelligent surgeon. Results: Perceived EI of the nurses (M = 5.47) did not differ from that of the surgeons (M = 5.29), [t (54)=1.09, p=0.28). Both groups showed a high preference for the same socio-emotional skills and, in particular, for reliability, self-control and conscientiousness. The lowest preference was noted for assertive behavior. Conclusions: Operating room nurses and surgeons assessed highly their own EI. The socio-emotional skills of an emotionally intelligent nurse and surgeon rated as important by both groups reflect the high priority that health professionals place on safety and high level of healthcare services provided to the patients.