Exploring the role of emotional intelligence in healthcare leadership: a systematic review

Abstract

Emotional intelligence (EI) has emerged as a pivotal competency in organizational leadership research, yet its application in healthcare, particularly in emergency medicine, remains underexplored. Emergency departments present uniquely high-stakes, time-pressured environments where leadership effectiveness directly influences patient outcomes, clinician well-being, and team performance. This review aimed to systematically evaluate the relationship between EI and leadership effectiveness among healthcare professionals, with a focused discussion on implications for emergency medicine practice and training. A systematic review with meta-analytic synthesis was conducted following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. PubMed, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus databases were searched for studies published between January 2014 and December 2024. Ten studies met inclusion criteria from an initial pool of 816 records. EI demonstrated significant positive correlations with transformational leadership (r ≤ 0.523, p < 0.001), team collaboration during crises (r ≤ 0.560, p < 0.001), job satisfaction (r ≤ 0.450, p < 0.01), and patient satisfaction (r ≤ 0.490, p < 0.05). Physicians with high EI had a 43% higher promotion rate. A significant inverse relationship was observed between EI and employee stress (r ≤ âˆ'0.482, p < 0.01). EI was found to be a robust predictor of leadership success in healthcare settings. Integrating EI assessment and training into emergency medicine residency programs and continuing professional development may yield substantial improvements in team dynamics, clinician wellness, and patient care quality.