The general attributes and competence for nurses in a single responder unit: A modified Delphi study

AIM: The aim of this study was to describe the general attributes and competence that nurses in the ambulance’s single responder units are considered to need. BACKGROUND: The development of ambulance care has led to an increased need for new units and working methods. Single responder unit is a single crewed unit that often uses for the patient assessments, to refer patients to the right level of care and to release regular ambulances. There is a lack of description of the needed competence for the nurses within single responder unit. METHODS: Modified Delphi with three rounds was used. The first round was conducted with focus group interviews and analysed with content analysis. Five competence categories and 19 subcategories were identified. The second and third rounds were conducted through surveys using a 4-point Likert scale and analysed with descriptive statistics. RESULTS: The ability to communicate with other healthcare providers to achieve one’s goal, the ability to create a good encounter alone and to have appropriate professional experience were identified as the most important general attributes and competencies. CONCLUSIONS: A central competence in prehospital emergency care is the ability to independently assess and treat patients with varying care needs in complex environments. To be able to work in SRU requires good communication and collaborations skills with other healthcare providers but it is also a prerequisite for creating a good patient relationship. Work experience of taking care of varying patients and situations is also needed in SRU. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12873-023-00868-w.