Introduction:

Emotional intelligence is a soft skill, defined as the ability to recognize one's own and others' emotions in view of managing them in front of others adequately. This type of intelligence is related to human competences and skills in different social, academic and occupational areas.

Objective:

To describe the role of emotional intelligence in the clinical practice of medical residents, as a frame of reference for its application in theoretical-practical education and the development of future research.

Methods:

A literature review was carried out in the PubMed, LILACS and Google Scholar databases. Logical operators were used by means of different combinations from the Medical Subject Headings: "Emotional Intelligence", "Medical Residencies", "Education, Medical", "Education, Medical, Graduate". The following combinations from the Health Sciences Descriptors were also used: “Inteligencia Emocional” [emotional Intelligence], “Residencia Médica” [medical residence], “Educación Médica” [medical education], “Educación de Postgrado en Medicina” [postgraduate education in Medicine]. The search was limited by year, language and free access, taking into account inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of 279 results were obtained, of which 26 were selected to be included in the review and synthesis.

Results:

The results were organized, according to their relationship with emotional intelligence, in measurement in medical-surgical residents, levels of stress and burnout, empathy in the doctor-patient relationship, academic performance, well-being, and job satisfaction.

Conclusions:

Emotional intelligence in medical-surgical residents has been related to lower levels of stress and burnout, assertive communication, greater empathy with patients, and quality in medical care; furthermore, with high academic performance, better skills for teaching, leadership and motivation; and, finally, with better psychological well-being, job satisfaction and clinical performance.