“BEmotions” Intervention: A Pilot Study on Promoting Emotional Competence Among Emergency Department Nurses

TL;DR

This pilot study tested the 'BEmotions' program to improve emotional skills and job satisfaction among emergency department nurses in Portugal.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel intervention based on Veiga Branco’s emotional competence framework tailored for ED nurses.

Findings

The intervention showed significant improvements in overall emotional competence (p < 0.05; d = 0.81).

Job satisfaction increased significantly (p < 0.01; d = 1.22) among participating nurses.

Results suggest the potential for the program to enhance mental health in high-stress healthcare settings.

Abstract

(1) Background: Working in emergency departments (EDs) affects healthcare professionals’ mental health and impacts their ability to provide safe, high-quality care. Emotional competence (EC) is recognized as a protective factor in occupational settings. The “BEmotions” intervention aimed to promote nurses’ EC and satisfaction with their work group in an ED in Portugal. (2) Methods: A quasi-experimental pilot study using a single-group pretest–posttest design was conducted. The BEmotions intervention was based on Veiga Branco’s construct of EC, which includes five dimensions: self-awareness, emotion management, self-motivation, empathy, and emotional regulation in groups. It consisted of five weekly sessions, each lasting 90 min. The instruments used were: (a) A self-developed sociodemographic questionnaire; (b) EVCE-r33—Veiga’s Reduced EC Scale; and (c) the Work Group Satisfaction Scale (ESAG). (3) Results: The study sample comprised 10 nurses, of whom 80% were female, with a mean age of 45.3 years (SD = 7.07). This pilot study suggests positive results regarding overall EC (p < 0.05; d = 0.81) and Job Satisfaction (JS) (p < 0.01; d = 1.22) among emergency department nurses. (4) Conclusions: the ‘BEmotions’ intervention suggests promising preliminary directions for replication in other contexts and for promoting mental health in the workplace; however, its methodological limitations highlight the need for further research.