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© Proceedings of the Ruhuna Quality Assurance Sessions 2021 (RUQAS 2021)
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21 September 2021

RP5
Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Academic Performance of Health Science Undergraduates:

A Systematic Review

1*
2
3
Nirmala Rathnayake , Sujeewa Hettihewa , Kalani Gunawardena , and Imendra Kotapola 1
1 Department of Nursing, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Ruhuna
2 Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Ruhuna
3 Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Ruhuna,

Godakannda, Galle

* Corresponding author: nirmala.priyanthi@gmail.com

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”
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(Nursing, Dental and Medical). Original studies which were published in English language till 31
June 2021 were reviewed with the agreement of authors. Search strategy returned 136 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.

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