Moral sensitivity helps individuals resolve moral dilemmas as a precursor to moral decision-making. Intensive care unit (ICU) nurses are at high risk for encountering moral dilemmas and should have the moral sensitivity to recognize moral issues. The activities of ICU nurses in moral decision-making are guided by moral sensitivity but are also based on emotional intelligence (EI). EI, be recognized as an integral part of moral sensitivity with long-standing theoretical foundations. It is necessary to explicate the true role of EI in moral sensitivity through empirical research. To measure the level of moral sensitivity of ICU nurses and determine the relationship between moral sensitivity and EI. We recruited 467 ICU nurses of ten hospitals from March to June 2021 in Hunan Province, China for a cross-sectional questionnaire survey. The moral sensitivity and EI were measured using the Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire-Revised Version into Chinese (MSQ-R-CV) and the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale-Version into Chinese (WLEIS-C). A self-report questionnaire covered sociodemographic characteristics. The average moral sensitivity score of ICU nurses was 39.41 ± 7.21. The average EI score was significantly positively correlated with the moral sensitivity score (p < 0.001). This study demonstrated that the moral sensitivities of ICU nurses were at medium levels. EI of ICU nurses can indeed affect their moral sensitivity, and the impact of each element of EI should be clarified for practical application.
Keywords: emotional intelligence; intensive care unit; moral sensitivity; nurses.