Background: Evidence-based practice is considered as the core competency requirement for nursing practice internationally. However, there is limited information regarding the evidence-based practice competency indicators for clinical nurses in China.
Objective: To establish a set of evidence-based practice competencies specific to nurses in China.
Design: A modified Delphi study.
Setting: The study was mainly conducted in a university-affiliated hospital in China.
Participants: Twenty experts with evidence-based practice knowledge or practical experience from different regions and organizations in China.
Methods: A literature review was conducted to develop the initial list of competencies which consisted of 35 items in seven domains. A two-round Delphi survey used email to invite experts to rate the importance of each item and provide qualitative comments on their ratings. Consensus was predefined as a mean score is of 4.0 or above and at least 75% agreement among the participants.
Results: In round 1, 2 items were excluded, 5 items were added, and 12 items were required to be modified. In round 2, the consensus was achieved on 34 items in seven domains.
Conclusion: The study established a comprehensive set of evidence-based practice competencies for nurses in China, which provides benchmark standards for the assessment and training of nurses on evidence-based practice.
Keywords: Clinical competence; Delphi technique; Education; Evidence-based practice; Nurses.
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