Emotional Intelligence Impact on Leadership Effectiveness in Canadian Healthcare Environments

The Canadian healthcare sector’s low emotional intelligence (EI) among healthcare professionals contributes to poor patient outcomes and increased burnout with studies showing that 30 – 40% of Canadian healthcare workers experience burnout, leading to decreased job performance and patient dissatisfaction. The issue stems from high-stress environments, heavy workloads, and limited EI training in medical education. Effective EI enhances communication, teamwork, and patient care, ultimately improving healthcare quality and reducing stress-related attrition. This study is a systematic review of existing research to provide comprehensive insights into the impact of emotional intelligence on leadership effectiveness in Canadian healthcare environments by analyzing relevant studies from databases including PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus. Key themes identified include the impact of EI on patient satisfaction, job performance, and the mental well-being of healthcare workers, highlighting the role of EI in improving healthcare delivery, reducing medical errors, and fostering a supportive workplace culture. Future research can explore EI development through quantitative longitudinal studies on EI training effectiveness and qualitative phenomenological studies examining healthcare workers’ lived experiences with EI in practice.