AB093. Relationship of 3Qs to the clinical decision-making of fourth-year student nurses in a private higher education institution in Baguio

Background: Clinical decision-making (CDM) is a vital nursing function that ensures safe and effective patient outcomes. While cognitive abilities are foundational, non-cognitive traits such as emotional quotient (EQ), adversity quotient (AQ), and social quotient (SQ) may also influence students’ decision-making processes. However, limited literature has explored these traits in relation to CDM, particularly among student nurses in the Philippine context. This study aims to determine the relationship between EQ, AQ, and SQ to the CDM abilities of fourth-year student nurses, as well as the levels of these variables.

Methods: A descriptive-correlational design was used among 218 fourth-year nursing students from a private higher education institution in Baguio, selected through systematic random sampling. Standardized tools assessed EQ, AQ, and SQ, as well as CDM. Data were collected through printed surveys and analyzed using weighted mean and Spearman’s rho.

Results: There was a statistically significant moderate positive correlation between each quotient and CDM (EQ: r=0.44, P<0.001; AQ: r=0.51, P<0.001; SQ: r=0.51, P<0.001). Most students demonstrated a high level of CDM [mean (M) =79.75], a high level of AQ (M =48.75), and a high level of SQ (M =71.00). The EQ had a moderately high level (M =92.75). EQ, AQ, and SQ are positively associated with CDM.

Conclusions: Integrating these non-cognitive traits into nursing education may enhance students’ CDM, improve patient outcomes, and strengthen readiness for real-life clinical practice.

Keywords: Adversity quotient (AQ); clinical decision-making (CDM); emotional quotient (EQ); non-cognitive; social quotient (SQ)