Construction of a competency index system for shift nurses in China: A Delphi study

AIM: This study developed a set of competency evaluation indicators for shift work nurses in China. BACKGROUND: Nurses on night shifts must deal with the treatment, nursing, and management work, which requires excellent competency of night shift nurses in their knowledge, skills, and ability. However, the competency evaluation index system for shift work nurses has not been established yet in China. METHODS: This study performed a literature review and semi‐structured interviews to draft the preliminary competency evaluation indicators for nursing shift work. The Delphi technique was adopted to administer two rounds of questionnaires on 21 nursing experts. RESULTS: The positive coefficients of experts in the two rounds were 100% and 90.48%, respectively, whereas the authority coefficients were 0.974 and 0.971, respectively. The coefficients of variation were 0.00–0.26 and 0.00–0.16, respectively. The competency evaluation index system for shift work nurses consisted of 2 first‐level indicators, 16 second‐level indicators, and 67 third‐level indicators. CONCLUSION: The competency index system of shift work nurses is scientific and applicable. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: The competency evaluation index system of shift work nurses would provide an effective practical framework for shift nursing administration to evaluate, train, and assess the competency of shift work nurses.