Emotional Intelligence as a Predictor of Clinical Decision-Making Ability among Nursing Students in Aceh, Indonesia

Abstract

In nursing practice, clinical decision-making is a critical competency that students must possess to ensure patient safety and the quality of nursing care. This process is influenced not only by cognitive abilities but also by emotional intelligence, which helps students remain objective when facing complex and high-pressure clinical situations. Although various studies have examined the relationship between the two, the results obtained remain inconsistent. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the relationship between emotional intelligence and clinical decision-making among students in the Professional Nursing Program using a descriptive correlational design and a cross-sectional approach. A total of 107 students from three nursing education institutions in Banda Aceh were selected as participants using consecutive sampling. Emotional intelligence was measured using the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test, while clinical decision-making ability was measured using the Clinical Decision-Making in Nursing Scale. Data analysis was performed using Spearman’s correlation test. The results of the study indicate a positive and significant relationship between emotional intelligence and clinical decision-making (r=0.259; p= 0.007). Among all dimensions of emotional intelligence, Understanding of Emotion showed the strongest and most significant relationship with all components of clinical decision-making (p = 0.001), whereas the dimensions of Utilisation of Emotion and Regulation of Emotion did not show a significant relationship. Emotional intelligence plays a role in supporting clinical decision-making abilities among students in the Professional Nursing Program. Therefore, the development of emotional intelligence needs to be integrated into nursing education to support the improvement of students’ clinical decision-making abilities.