Associations of Nurse Preparedness, Emotional Intelligence, and Resilience with Quality of Clinical Response among Emergency Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Quality of clinical response among emergency nurses is influenced by nurse preparedness, emotional intelligence, and resilience. However, few studies have examined these factors simultaneously in emergency settings. This study examined associations between nurse preparedness, emotional intelligence, and resilience and the quality of clinical response among emergency nurses. Methods: This quantitative cross-sectional study included 14 emergency department nurses selected through total sampling at Diponegoro Dua Satu General Hospital, Klaten. Nurse preparedness, emotional intelligence, and resilience were independent variables, while quality of clinical response was the dependent variable. We collected data using the EPIQ, WLEIS, and CD-RISC questionnaires and analyzed them using PLS-SEM in SmartPLS. Results: Most respondents were female (57.1%), aged 20–30 years (64.3%), held a bachelor’s degree in nursing (71.4%), and had >5 years of emergency department experience (42.9%). The model demonstrated strong explanatory power (Adjusted R² = 0.950). Resilience showed the strongest positive association with quality of clinical response (β = 0.840, 95% CI [0.31, 1.37], p < 0.01), followed by emotional intelligence (β = 0.556, 95% CI [0.08, 1.03], p < 0.05). Nurse preparedness showed a weak, non-significant negative association. Conclusion: Emotional intelligence and resilience significantly improved the quality of clinical response. Integrating psychological capacity-building into emergency nursing training may strengthen adaptive performance in emergency care.