The construction of the index system for nurses' innovation competence evaluation in China: A Delphi study

Scientific and technological innovation has become the "key variable" of national social and economic development. Nurses' innovation ability can improve the quality of patient care, thus shorten the hospital stay, reduce the medical costs, and promote the rapid development of the nursing industry. Nowadays nurses have gradually involved in various innovation, but less concerns are focus on the evaluation of nurse's innovation competence.

To develop evaluation index system for nurse's innovation competence.

Eleven experts with innovation experience from different regions in China.

Literature review and qualitative interview were used to establish first version of index system. Then, a two-round Delphi expert consultation was conducted to collect opinions from 11 experts. Then the final version of nurses' innovation competence evaluation index was used in one tertiary hospital for preliminary application.

The response rate of the two rounds was more than 90%, the expert familiarity coefficient was 0.818, the judgment coefficient was 0.918, and the authority coefficient was 0.868. The two rounds of expert coordination coefficient test showed P < 0.05. The evaluation index system of nurses' innovation competence includes 4 first-level indicators, 9 second-level indicators and 36 third-level indicators. The scores of innovation production and innovation subject were the lowest among all the first-level indicators when use this index for preliminary application.

The constructed evaluation index system of nurses' innovation competence are scientific, reliable and practical, and can be used to promote nurse's innovation competence and innovation conversion competence in clinical practice. Hospital managers should pay more attention on cultivate nurse's innovation competence and provide resources and multi-form platforms to support the nurses with innovative ideas and willingness.