Development of an instrument to determine competencies of postgraduate ICU nurses in Cyprus

The study sought to explore the expected competencies for postgraduate intensive care unit nurses aiming to develop a future competency-based curriculum. The aim of this part of the study is to develop a new instrument to determine what competencies are expected of postgraduate critical care nurses.

Despite existing competency frameworks that emerged from research in the area of critical care, globally and within countries there is diversity and an ongoing debate regarding level of critical care education, outcomes and competencies acquired.

A combination of qualitative and quantitative approach was used. In first stage (qualitative), focus groups and interviews were used aiming to explore critical care nurses views concerning expected competencies of postgraduate critical care nurses. In second stage (quantitative), an 81 items Likert scale questionnaire, which was designed based on qualitative data and literature, was distributed among critical care nurses in Cyprus (n: 234, response rate 66%) aiming to receive feedback from clinical nurses and validate the instrument. Psychometric approaches such as internal consistency reliability using Cronbach's α and construct validity were used to validate the instrument.

The final questionnaire includes 72 items and has a four-dimensional structure. The four dimensions are (1) leadership/management and professional development, (2) decision-making and management of emergencies, (3) provision of care and professional practice and (4) ethical practice. All factors were highly reliable, with Cronbach's α ranging from 0·895 to 0·974.

A new instrument to determine what competencies are expected of postgraduate critical care nurses was generated from this study. A new framework of competencies is grounded on this study that addresses the holistic, individualized and ethically informed quality care of critically ill and may inform educational strategies.

Critical care nurses competencies need to be determined for quality care and speciality development.