Investigation of the Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Safe Technology Use in Operating Room Nurses

Abstract

Objective: To examine the association between emotional intelligence and safe technology use among operating room nurses.
Methods: This cross-sectional, correlational study included 88 operating room nurses working in a city hospital in Kocaeli. Data were collected using a Descriptive Information Form, the Safe Use of Technology in the Operating Room Scale, and the Rotterdam Emotional Intelligence Scale. Reliability was assessed with Cronbach’s α. Non-parametric tests (Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis), Spearman correlations, and simple linear regression were used (α=0.05).
Results: Participants’ mean age was 34.2±7.3 years; 83% were women, and 69.3% held a bachelor’s degree. Scores indicated high levels of safe technology practices (General Practices=4.51±0.59; Surgical Team=4.46±0.55) and emotional intelligence (4.02±0.56). Emotional intelligence correlated positively with both General Practices and Surgical Team Scale sections (p<0.01). Regression models were significant, with emotional intelligence explaining 21.2% of the variance in General Practices and 19.9% in Surgical Team scores.
Conclusions: Higher emotional intelligence is associated with safer technology use among operating room nurses. Integrating emotional intelligence components into technology-safety training may strengthen the patient-safety culture in technologically intensive surgical settings.

Keywords

• Operating Rooms
• Nurses
• Emotional Intelligence
• Safe Technology

Thanks

We would like to thank the nurses who volunteered to participate in this study. The authors sincerely thank the editor and anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions.

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