Construction of a Competency Evaluation Indicator System for Specialist Nurses in Liver Transplantation: A Delphi Study.

Aims/background: Liver transplantation specialist nurses provide comprehensive and safe care for liver transplant patients, which requires them to have a wide range of competencies. However, at present, there is no comprehensive understanding of the competency of liver transplantation specialist nurses in China, and there is a lack of comprehensive evaluation indicators. The purpose of this study was to construct a competency evaluation indicator system for specialist nurses in liver transplantation.

Methods: Utilizing the "Iceberg model" of competency, the indicator system for evaluating the competency of liver transplant specialist nurses was developed through literature review, semi-structured interviews, and two rounds of Delphi expert consultation.

Results: Twenty nursing and medical experts in liver transplantation were consulted over two rounds. The effective response rates for the expert consultation questionnaires were 90.91% and 100.00% for the first and second rounds, respectively. The coefficient of expert judgment was 0.920, the coefficient of familiarity was 0.880, and the authority coefficient was 0.900. The value range of the coefficient of variation in the second round was 0.00-0.16, both <0.25, indicating that the degree of coordination of expert opinions was high. The final competency evaluation index system for liver transplant specialist nurses encompassed 6 primary indicators, 17 secondary indicators, and 59 tertiary indicators, including professional knowledge, professional skills, social role, self-concept, personality quality, and motivation.

Conclusion: The developed competency evaluation indicator system for liver transplant specialist nurses possesses scientific validity and reliability, offering a reference for the training and assessment of liver transplant specialist nurses.