The Nursing Associate at a Glance. Ian Peate

       All research must be ethical and not harmful in any way to participants.

Evidence‐based practice

EBP, unlike research, is not concerned with developing new knowledge or validating existing knowledge. EBP is about translating the evidence and then applying this to clinical decision‐making situations (see Figure 7.3). One of the overall aims of EBP is to implement the best evidence that is available to make patient‐care decisions. Most of the best available evidence is derived from research. EBP, however, goes beyond research use and it also includes clinical expertise as well as patient preferences and values. EBP acknowledges that there are times when the best evidence is that of opinion leaders and experts (and these may include patients), despite the absence of definitive knowledge from research results. Although research is concerned about the development of new knowledge, EBP involves innovation in terms of finding and translating the best evidence into clinical practice.

      A number of critical steps are associated with EBP.

      The EBP process comprises seven critical steps:

      1 Promote a body of inquiry (engender curiosity).

      2 Ask a significant clinical question.

      3 Collect the most relevant and the best evidence (there are hierarchies of evidence).

      4 Critically appraise the evidence (use a systematic approach).

      5 Integrate the evidence with clinical expertise, patient preferences and values in making a practice decision or change.

      6 Evaluate the practice decision or change.

      7 Disseminate EBP results.

8 Emotional intelligence

      At the point of registration, the Nursing Associate will be able to: understand and explain the meaning of resilience and emotional intelligence, and their influence on an individual’s ability to provide care.

Table 8.1 Four factors of emotional intelligence (Source: Hefferman 2010).

Factor	Description
Well‐being	Involves the individual having a good level of self‐esteem and the characteristics of feeling happy and satisfied with a positive outlook on life.
Self‐control	Is concerned with the ability of the individual to regulate and control their emotional responses, and their competence to handle stress.
Emotionality	Is the skill to show empathy, communicate feelings and be aware of the perspectives of others in a situation
Sociability	Concerns the social competence of the individual, their ability to demonstrate strong social skills and to be assertive and influence others.

      Top Tip

      Remember, you are only able to provide the best care for others when you are also taking care of yourself.

Definition

      In 1990 Salovey and Mayer defined emotional intelligence as ‘the subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one's own and others' feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one's thinking and actions’. Those who are emotionally intelligent are able to use, understand as well as manage their feelings in such a way that it can benefit themselves and others.

Emotional intelligence

      The concept of emotional intelligence has been identified as being separate from academic intelligence and is required for a person to be successful in the practicalities of life. It is recognised that emotional intelligence is an essential requirement for nursing and other healthcare staff and that some are not aware of this concept or able to identify how they can best manage their own emotions. It is possible for individuals to increase and also further develop their emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence includes:

       Feeling but also correctly identifying emotions, both in oneself and in others

       Using these emotions to assist reasoning

       Having the capability to understand feelings

       Managing one’s emotions

       Controlling emotional situations.

      Development of emotional intelligence can have positive results on several levels. It requires the Nursing Associate to engage in self‐reflection and work on oneself; this is not always easy to do. A number of tools are available to assess emotional intelligence. Seeking feedback on behaviour and evaluating how others react to our behaviour can help monitor our own and the feelings and the emotions of others. Using the information gained from feedback helps to guide our thinking and action.

      Those who are emotionally intelligent perceive themselves as confident, and they are better able to understand, control and manage their own emotions. Four factors of emotional intelligence have been identified:

      1 Well‐being

      2 Self‐control

      3 Emotionality

      4 Sociability (see Table 8.1).

Resilience

      Resilience is associated with the capacity to accurately perceive and respond well to situations that are stressful. Resilience is demonstrated, not only in times of crisis, but on a daily basis.

      The Royal College of Nursing suggest that being resilient is about being able to endure setbacks, frustrations and personal misfortunes. During a crisis, the person who is resilient will endeavour to do their best to handle and deal with events calmly, with grace, patience, acceptance and hope. The person who is less resilient may respond with anger, panic, frustration and impatience, and they might see themselves as the victim. Seven key areas that help make a person resilient include the following:

      1 Taking care of own basic needs. Making sure you look after yourself and your health and that you are eating well‐balanced meals and sleeping well.

      2 Having emotional stability. Caring for ill people can bring with it uncomfortable and difficult emotions.

      3 Having confidence along with self‐esteem, as well as a belief in your ability to manage negative setbacks is at the heart of being resilient.

      4 Seeking social support. Strong relationships and support networks are key to coping with challenging situations. People are there to help you and want to help, so ensure you let them.

      5 Speaking your truth.

      6 Seeking insight. When you come across a challenging situation, regardless of why the situation arose, being aware of what led to it might help you change your behaviour and take a different path next time. Engage with emotional intelligence.

      7 Having faith. Difficult situations can often bring a crisis of faith.

      As