Associations Among Emotional Intelligence, Job Stress, and Clinical Decision‐Making in Prehospital Emergency Staff: A Cross‐Sectional Study

ABSTRACT Background and Aims Prehospital emergency personnel work in highly stressful and unpredictable environments where job stress may affect performance and clinical decision‐making. Emotional intelligence has been proposed as a personal resource that may help individuals manage stress and improve decision‐making; however, evidence in prehospital emergency settings remains limited and inconsistent. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the relationships between emotional intelligence, job stress, and clinical decision‐making among prehospital emergency staff in Kurdistan, Iran. Methods This descriptive–correlational study was conducted among 250 prehospital emergency medical staff in Kurdistan Province, Iran, from August to December 2024. Data were collected using standardized instruments, including a demographic questionnaire, the Schutte Self‐Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT), the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Job Stress Questionnaire, and a Clinical Decision‐Making questionnaire. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 27. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data, while Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to examine relationships among variables. A p ‐value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Participants reported moderate levels of job stress (122.10 ± 14.78), emotional intelligence (110.88 ± 14.52), and clinical decision‐making (80.62 ± 11.35). Inferential analyses showed no statistically significant associations between emotional intelligence or job stress and clinical decision‐making ( p > 0.05). However, a weak positive correlation was observed between emotional intelligence and job stress ( r = 0.160, p = 0.031). In regression analyses, neither emotional intelligence nor job stress significantly predicted clinical decision‐making, explaining a very small proportion of variance (R 2 = 0.019). Conclusion No robust associations were found between emotional intelligence or job stress and clinical decision‐making among prehospital emergency staff. Although a weak positive correlation was observed between emotional intelligence and job stress, this finding was not reflected in predictive models. Given the cross‐sectional design and the limited explanatory power of the regression model, causal inferences cannot be made. Future longitudinal studies are warranted to explore additional individual, organizational, and contextual factors that may better explain variations in clinical decision‐making in prehospital emergency settings.