The Effects of Hospital Nurses’ Emotional and Social Intelligence, Communication Skills on Patient-Centered Care

This study aimed to identify qualities necessary for effective patient-centered nursing by examining the effects of hospital nurses’ emotional intelligence, social intelligence, and communication skills on patient-centered care. A total of 146 nurses from four hospitals participated in this study, with data collected through self-report questionnaires between July 1 and September 17, 2021. The data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 for descriptive analysis, skewness, kurtosis, independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, the Scheffé test, Pearson's correlation, and multiple regression. Significant positive correlations were found between patient-centered care and emotional intelligence (r=0.47, p<.001), patient-centered care and social intelligence (r=0.36, p<.001), and patient-centered care and communication skills (r=0.55, p<.001). The factors influencing patient-centered care were communication skills (β=0.47, p<.001) and emotional intelligence (β=0.24, p=.008). The explanatory power of the model was 32.9% (F=24.73, p<.001). This study found that enhancing hospital nurses' emotional intelligence and communication skills is essential for promoting patient-centered care, highlighting the need for targeted educational programs to support these competencies.