Construction of an index system of core competence assessment for sleep medicine nurse specialists in China: a Delphi study

Aim To construct an evaluation index system for the core competence of nurses in sleep medicine specialties. Background Specialized nurses in sleep medicine must handle treatment, nursing, and management well, which requires nurses to have excellent competence in knowledge, skills, and ability. However, a competency evaluation system for sleep medicine nurses has not been established in China. Methods We used a literature review and an expert meeting to establish a draft indicator system. Subsequently, two rounds of correspondence were conducted with 27 experts from 5 provinces using the Delphi method to solicit their opinions on the core competency evaluation indicators for sleep medicine nurse specialists and to qualitatively evaluate the experts' scores. The consensus was defined in advance as a mean score of 4.0 or above, with at least 75% agreement among participants. In this way, the final indicator framework was determined. Results The final evaluation indexes of the core competencies for sleep medicine Nurse Specialists included 6 first-level indexes (Practical ability, Theoretical Knowledge, Critical thinking, Communication and coordination, Nursing Management, and Professional Development), 16 s-level indexes, and 64 third-level indexes. The effective response rates of the two expert consultation rounds were 100%. The expert authority coefficients were 0.878 and 0.865 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 0.373, 0.351, and 0.286, respectively (P < 0.05). Conclusion The core competence evaluation index system for sleep medicine nurses established in this study is scientific and reliable and can provide a theoretical reference for the training, assessment, and evaluation of sleep medicine nurses in the future. Implications for nursing management The evaluation index system of sleep medicine nurses' core competence will provide an effective practical framework for nursing management to evaluate, train, and examine the core competence of sleep medicine nurses.