The role of emotional intelligence in end-of-life care: a scoping review of studies involving healthcare professionals.

BACKGROUND

The capacity to recognize, label, comprehend, manage, and apply emotions, known as Emotional Intelligence (EI), is pivotal for health outcomes, especially within the emotionally charged context of end-of-life (EOL) care. Although a growing body of research examines EI within the realm of EOL care, a comprehensive synthesis of the results has yet to be conducted.

AIM: This scoping review synthesizes evidence to explore the role of EI in EOL care by healthcare professionals, focusing on its associated factors and the effectiveness of interventions aimed at enhancing EI.

OBJECTIVES

(1) To synthesize evidence on the predictors and outcomes associated with healthcare professionals' EI in EOL care, (2) the effect of interventions on improving EI in the EOL setting.

METHODS

Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, the study searched six databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Scopus, CINAHL, and Web of Science) for studies published between 2014 and 2024.

RESULTS

Of 256 articles screened, 12 studies were included. In the EOL context, these studies demonstrated significant influence of EI on attitudes towards EOL care, learning satisfaction, coping styles, death anxiety, fear of death, empathy, perception of palliative care, attitudes towards death, self-efficacy and EOL care ability. The differences in position, degree, and EOL training status significantly affect EI levels. Additionally, EOL simulation and EOL psychodrama interventions were proven effective in enhancing EI.

CONCLUSIONS

This review summarizes the influencing factors and intervention effects of EI among hospice healthcare professionals. The included studies indicate that EI is associated with multidimensional variables such as attitudes, mental states, professional competence, cognitive levels, and learning coping behaviors. Furthermore, specific interventions targeting hospice care demonstrate the malleability of EI and provide practical pathways for enhancing clinical outcomes related to EI. These findings point to future research directions: developing specialized EI training to improve the EI levels of hospice healthcare professionals and optimize their capabilities in palliative care.