Construction of an index system of core competence assessment for otolaryngology nurse specialists in China: A Delphi study

Abstract

Background: Clinical nurse specialists play a vital role in the work quality, patient safety and team development of nurses. However, there is currently no prior study constructing the index of core competence assessment for otolaryngology Nurse Specialists.

Objectives: To establish an index system for the evaluation of Chinese otolaryngology Nurse Specialists' core competence.

Design: A Delphi study.

Settings: The study was mainly conducted in a university-affiliated hospital in China.

Participants: Twenty-two experts with otolaryngology knowledge and practical experience from different regions and organizations in China.

Methods: We used literature reviews and expert meetings to establish a draft index system . Subsequently, a two-round Delphi survey was utilized to consult opinions from 22 experts about the index for the evaluation of otolaryngology nurse specialists' core competence and provide qualitative comments on their ratings. Consensus was predefined as a mean important score of 4.0 or above and a coefficient of variation is not above 0.25 among the participants.

Results: The final evaluation indexes of the core competencies for otolaryngology Nurse Specialists included 5 first-level indexes (clinical competence, critical thinking competence, leadership, professional development competence, professionalism), 19 second-level indexes, and 85 third-level indexes. The effective response rates of the two expert consultation rounds were 100 %. The expert authority coefficients were 0.864 and 0.859 in the first and second rounds of consultation, respectively. In the second round of consultation, the first, second and third indexes of Kendall's coefficient of concordance were 0.357, 0.330, and 0.232, respectively (P < 0.001).

Conclusions: The constructed evaluation indexes of the core competencies of otolaryngology Nurse Specialists are scientific, reasonable, comprehensive, and specific and may provide references for the training and evaluation of otolaryngology Nurse Specialists.

Keywords: Core competencies; Delphi method; Index; Nurse specialists; Otolaryngology.