Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Academic Performance of Health Science Undergraduates

Abstract

Perceiving, using, understanding, and managing our own and others emotions is generally considered as emotional intelligence (EI). EI is a predictor of academic success of university undergraduates and it is also associated with the successful performance of healthcare professionals. It is an important character that should be inculcated among health sciences undergraduates in order to make them more successful in academic performances and help them to achieve professional success. In this systematic review, the impact of EI on academic performance of health sciences undergraduates was evaluated. A systematic search was performed following the PRISMA Statement in MEDLINE and ERIC databases and also by a manual search to identify studies that evaluated the impact of EI on academic performance of nursing, dental and medical undergraduates. We used the search terms “Impact” OR “Effect”, “Emotional Intelligence”, “Academic performance” and “Health Sciences Undergraduates” (Nursing, Dental and Medical). Original studies which were published in English language till 31st June 2021 were reviewed with the agreement of authors. Search strategy returned136 articles, of them only 23 articles based on original studies met all inclusion criteria. They included seven studies focused on nursing undergraduates, three on dental undergraduates and thirteen on medical undergraduates. EI was found to be linked with the successful academic performance of health sciences undergraduates at either theory or clinical examinations in fourteen studies (60.9 %) (3 nursing, 3 dental and 8 medical). Nine studies (39.1%) (4 nursing, 5 medical) did not find an association between EI and academic performance. A majority (60.9%) of reviewed studies have observed an impact of EI on academic performance of health science undergraduates that was identified in observational studies. Interventional studies in the context are recommended to confirm this association.