Research on Constructing a Competency Model for Ophthalmic Nurses Based on Delphi Method

This study aimed to develop and validate a competency model for ophthalmic nurses in China. A mixed-method approach was employed, comprising four phases: (1) literature review and job description analysis; (2) semi-structured interviews with ophthalmic healthcare professionals (n = 32); (3) questionnaire survey of nurses(n = 32), physicians(n = 30) and patients(n = 30);(4) two-round Delphi expert consultation (n = 15). Data were analyzed using SPSS 23.0. Inter-expert agreement showed statistically significant but modest consensus (p < 0.01 for both rounds), with Kendall's W values of 0.029 increasing to 0.095 for primary indicators, 0.245-0.270 for secondary indicators, and 0.190-0.263 for tertiary indicators from the first to the second round. The Delphi process achieved 100% response rates in both rounds, with expert authority coefficients of 0.830 and 0.877 for the first and second rounds, respectively. The final model comprised 4 primary indicators. Key competency areas included professional technical skills (weight: 0.2634), emergency care capabilities (weight: 0.5579), and professional responsibility. Our study presents a model for ophthalmic nurses in China. Future research will focus on implementing and validating this model in clinical settings.