Content of a wound care mobile application for newly graduated nurses: an e-Delphi study

Julie Gagnon; Julie Chartrand; Sebastian Probst; Michelle Lalonde

doi:10.1186/s12912-024-02003-x

Content of a wound care mobile application for newly graduated nurses: an e-Delphi study

BMC Nurs. 2024 May 16;23(1):331. doi: 10.1186/s12912-024-02003-x.

Authors

Julie Gagnon^{1

2}, Julie Chartrand^{3

4}, Sebastian Probst^{5

6

7

8}, Michelle Lalonde^{3

9}

Affiliations

¹ School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, 200 Lees Avenue, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada. jgagn156@uottawa.ca.
² Département des sciences de la santé, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Québec, G5L 3A1, Canada. jgagn156@uottawa.ca.
³ School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, 200 Lees Avenue, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada.
⁴ Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1, Canada.
⁵ HES-SO, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, 47 Avenue de Champel, Geneva, 1206, Switzerland.
⁶ Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, 27 Rainforest Walk, Clayton VIC 3168, Melbourne, Australia.
⁷ College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Galway, University Road, Galway, H91TK33, Ireland.
⁸ Care Directorate, Geneva University Hospitals, Rue Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil 4, Geneva, 1205, Switzerland.
⁹ Institut du Savoir Montfort, Montfort Hospital, 745A Montréal Road, Suite 202, Ottawa, ON, K1K 0T1, Canada.

Abstract

Background: Wound care represents a considerable challenge, especially for newly graduated nurses. The development of a mobile application is envisioned to improve knowledge transfer and facilitate evidence-based practice. The aim of this study was to establish expert consensus on the initial content of the algorithm for a wound care mobile application for newly graduated nurses.

Methods: Experts participated in online surveys conducted in three rounds. Twenty-nine expert wound care nurses participated in the first round, and 25 participated in the two subsequent rounds. The first round, which was qualitative, included a mandatory open-ended question solicitating suggestions for items to be included in the mobile application. The responses underwent content analysis. The subsequent two rounds were quantitative, with experts being asked to rate their level of agreement on a 5-point Likert scale. These rounds were carried out iteratively, allowing experts to review their responses and see anonymized results from the previous round. We calculated the weighted kappa to determine the individual stability of responses within-subjects between the quantitative rounds. A consensus threshold of 80% was predetermined.

Results: In total, 80 items were divided into 6 categories based on the results of the first round. Of these, 75 (93.75%) achieved consensus during the two subsequent rounds. Notably, 5 items (6.25%) did not reach consensus. The items with the highest consensus related to the signs and symptoms of infection, pressure ulcers, and the essential elements for healing. Conversely, items such as toe pressure measurement, wounds around drains, and frostbite failed to achieve consensus.

Conclusions: The results of this study will inform the development of the initial content of the algorithm for a wound care mobile application. Expert participation and their insights on infection-related matters have the potential to support evidence-based wound care practice. Ongoing debates surround items without consensus. Finally, this study establishes expert wound care nurses' perspectives on the competencies anticipated from newly graduated nurses.

Keywords: Consensus; Delphi Technique; Mobile Applications; Nurses; Nursing care; Smartphone; Wound Healing; Wounds and injuries.

Abstract

Grants and funding