Mediating effect of self-efficacy in relationship between emotional intelligence and clinical communication competency of nurses

ObjectiveThis study investigates the emotional intelligence (EI), self-efficacy, and clinical communication ability of clinical nurses to explore the correlation among these three variables, and verify the mediating effect of self-efficacy on relationship between EI and communication skills.MethodsA total of 865 nurses were recruited and investigated using Wong and Law's Emotional Intelligence Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, and nurse clinical communication scale.ResultsThe scores for EI and self-efficacy of nurses were 14.23 ± 2.61 and 25.36 ± 5.67, respectively, which were lower than the international norm (p < 0.01). The score for clinical communication ability of nurses was 4.14 ± 0.53. The clinical communication competency of nurses was positively correlated with EI and general self-efficacy. Furthermore, self-efficacy played an intermediary role between EI and clinical communication commitment.ConclusionNursing administrators can improve the clinical communication ability of nurses by enhancing their self-efficacy and EI.