Effects of Emotional Intelligence and Nursing Working Environment on Nursing Performance of Nurses Caring for Cancer Patients in Small and Medium Hospitals: The Mediating Effect of Communication Competence

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the effects of emotional intelligence and working environment on nursing performance of nurses caring for cancer patients in small and medium hospitals were mediated by communication competence. Methods: The data was collected between Aug. 1 and Aug. 30, 2018 from 240 nurses caring for cancer patients from 11 small and medium hospitals in B city. Variables included in this study were the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS), the Practice Environment Scale of Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI), the Global Interpersonal Communication Competence (GICC), and nursing performance. The collected data were analyzed by t-tests, ANOVA and Scheffe’s test, Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and 3 step multiple regression using SPSS/WIN 24.0 and the Sobel test. Results: Communication competence, in the relationship between emotional intelligence and nursing working environment on nursing performance in nurses caring for cancer patients in small and medium hospitals, showed a partial mediating effect (Z=5.24, p<.001; Z=2.44, p=.001 respectively). Conclusion: The results of this study showed the effects of emotional intelligence and nursing working environment on nursing performance of nurses caring for cancer patients in small and medium hospitals were mediated by communication competence.