Negative emotions, most commonly stress, were inversely correlated with clinical performance in some simulated or educational acute care settings¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r3 · q2
Currency · newest study 2025 · checked against its sources 2026-10-31 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? In five of nine simulated/educational studies, negative emotions such as stress and anxiety were associated with poorer clinical performance. → Xi Cheng En 2025

Evidence¶

Xi Cheng En 2025¶

Xi Cheng En, Boet Sylvain, Assi Alexandre, Sikora Lindsey, McConnell Meghan M. (2025). Influence of emotions on clinical performance in acute care: A scoping review. PLoS One. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0329445

q2 · i? · review · r3

The review reports that among nine simulated/educational studies, "In five of these studies, negative emotions (e.g., stress, anxiety) were associated with poorer clinical performance". No pooled effect size is printed.

"In five of these studies, negative emotions (e.g., stress, anxiety) were associated with poorer clinical performance [32–36]."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Affect Regulation — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• The effects of emotions on non-procedural skills in real-world clinical settings were inconclusive, with contrasting findings on stress and performance — related
• Work context, via acute stress and cognitive load, is a major moderator of emotional competence's impact on clinical reasoning — related
• Several studies found no relationship between emotions and performance in simulated contexts — related
• Impaired performance under simulation stress is concentrated among healthcare students and junior residents, with rising perceived anxiety, cognitive load and stress linked to poorer performance — related