Mr. K is a 43-year-old male who has been admitted to the coronary care unit after experiencing a myocardial infarction which led to a cardiac arrest. Mr. K has maintained a healthy and active lifestyle since his myocardial infarction three years ago. Prior to his admission, Mr. K was at home running on his treadmill as part of his morning routine. His wife, Mrs. K, heard a loud noise and ran downstairs to find Mr. K lying prone on the treadmill with a head injury and no pulse. Mrs. K called 9-1-1. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was not initiated until paramedics arrived, and it was approximately 45 minutes until Mr. K had a return of spontaneous circulation. Mr. K was intubated at home and then brought into hospital where he was seen immediately by the cardiac team, which included an advanced practice nurse (APN). The APN’s role was to gather information about what might have led to Mr. K’s event and to consider the current goals of care. Given the estimated downtime (time without adequate blood circulation), the APN acknowledges that Mr. K would most likely suffer from severe anoxic brain injury, and his prognosis would be poor. Although nothing had been confirmed by the physician, the APN recognized that there was a possibility that she would have needed to support Mrs. K through the withdrawal of care of her husband. After considering this, the APN became overwhelmed with emotion; as she thinks about her spouse who is the same age as Mr. K. In addition, the APN also experienced profound frustration; as to why the Mrs. K did not initiate CPR for her husband. As the team continues to aggressively work on Mr. K, the APN will be Mrs. K’s initial point of contact and will work closely with her to meet the overall goals of care for Mr. K.

۲ Background

The concept of emotional intelligence (EI) can be described as the ability to manage one’s emotions and the emotions of others [1]. EI has emerged across several disciplines and has gained traction in the nursing profession as EI promotes the well-being of nurses, which subsequently impacts patients and families. With several competing definitions and EI models, there is a general lack of understanding of EI and its overall meaning and significance. Unclear concepts can lead to a great deal of confusion and misapprehension when applied in practice [2]; as EI is a concept already rife with confusion, clarity is necessary.