The relationship between characteristics of nursing performance and years of experience in nurses with high emotional intelligence.

The aim of this study was to elucidate characteristics of nursing performance among nurses with high emotional intelligence (EI) and examine the influence of years of experience on nursing performance and EI. A survey, including The Emotional Intelligence Scale and the Six-Dimension Scale of Nursing Performance, was administered to 1395 nurses working at general hospitals in Japan from November 2010 to March 2011. We received 1045 responses (76% response rate). There was a significant positive correlation between EI and nursing performance. Nurses with high EI reported more professional development activities, suggesting that they continue learning, attain licenses and actively improve their nursing skills. High-performing nurses had high situational abilities and showed improved nursing performance with experience. However, nurses with low situational abilities demonstrated no improvement in nursing performance related to experience. EI involves skills that can be acquired from training. Therefore, educational programmes to improve EI could improve nursing performance.

Effect of information and communication technology on nursing performance.

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of information and communication technology use and skills on nursing performance. Questionnaires were prepared relating to using the technology, practical skills in utilizing information, the Six-Dimension Scale of Nursing Performance, and demographics. In all, 556 nurses took part (response rate, 72.6%). A two-way analysis of variance was used to determine the influence of years of nursing experience on the relationship between nursing performance and information and communication technology use. The results showed that the group possessing high technological skills had greater nursing ability than the group with low skills; the level of nursing performance improved with years of experience in the former group, but not in the latter group. Regarding information and communication technology use, the results showed that nursing performance improved among participants who used computers for sending and receiving e-mails, but it decreased for those who used cell phones for e-mail. The results suggest that nursing performance may be negatively affected if information and communication technology are inappropriately used. Informatics education should therefore be provided for all nurses, and it should include information use relating to cell phones and computers.

Developing a questionnaire on the quality of working life for female medical and healthcare professionals.

This study aimed to develop a questionnaire on the quality of working life among female medical and healthcare professionals and examine its validity and reliability. The questionnaire was developed from an item pool drawing on the literature. The four trait scales included 40 items, covering female-specific stress in continuing a career, stress of lifestyle in maintaining personal values, job satisfaction and social support network. The questionnaire's validity and reliability were assessed using data from 1,784 female doctors, dentists, and nurses. Validity was examined using exploratory factor analysis on each trait for construct validity, and multitrait scaling analysis for convergent and discriminant validity. Reliability was tested using Cronbach's alpha for trait subscales and scales. Exploratory factor analysis on each trait was convergent. One trait derived three subscales, and another two. The remaining two traits were convergent for one factor. Multitrait scaling analysis showed that all scales and subscales were independent. The questionnaire was therefore internally consistent and had construct validity. Cronbach's alpha was 0.85 for the total and between 0.72 and 0.83 for the subscales. These results validate the four-trait combination questionnaire and suggest that it would be suitable for use in future research, perhaps in combination with other existing scales.

[Interpersonal relationships experienced in college life and development of social skills].

The purpose of this study is to clarify the relation between the development of social skills and students' experience in interpersonal relationships during their college life, focusing on what factors are most influential. The study was conducted based on a questionnaire regarding social skills, attitudes toward college life, clinical practice, lectures and interpersonal relationships, etc., distributed to 72 senior students from a 4-year nursing college as subjects. As a result, it was found that when students had to meet hardships regarding interpersonal relations during their college life, those who had two or more coping tools were able to develop more social skills than those who had to cope with the difficulty on their own. Moreover, students who had part-time jobs, took part in two or more extracurricular activities or overcame the difficulty of interpersonal relations during school festivals were reported to have improved their social skills. From these findings, one can speculate that the more quantity and the higher quality of interpersonal relationships students experience in their college life, the more and the higher-level social skills they can develop. It was also shown that the negative attitude toward interpersonal relationships as well as the difficulty students felt, during clinical practices worked as negative factors that might arrest the development of their social skills. It is therefore suggested that during clinical practices teachers should commit themselves positively to helping students cope with difficult situations or mend their negative attitudes toward interpersonal relations.