Developing a Competency Model for Mobile Nurses in Chinese Tertiary Hospitals: A Delphi-AHP Approach

To establish an evidence-based competency framework for mobile nurses in tertiary hospitals, addressing critical gaps in workforce optimization during healthcare crises.

Mobile nurses play pivotal roles in emergency response and cross-departmental coordination, yet standardized competency models remain lacking, hindering evidence-based workforce optimization.

A mixed-methods study integrating: (1) Literature synthesis (85 articles, 2015-2025); (2) semistructured interviews with 32 clinicians from four Chinese tertiary hospitals and (3) two-round Delphi-AHP consultation (n = 18 experts) establishing weighted competencies.

The final model comprises 3 domains-Personality Traits (44.47%), Knowledge/Skills (37.02%), and Professionalism (18.51%)-with 10 subdomains and 40 indicators. Delphi consensus strengthened significantly between rounds (mean CV reduction: 0.25 ⟶ 0.08, p < 0.001), with high expert authority (Cr = 0.85). Critical competencies included crisis intervention (weight = 0.0199), EHR proficiency (0.0757), and emotional resilience (0.0218).

This first evidence-based competency framework addresses mobile nurses' unique demands in dynamic care environments, providing actionable metrics for recruitment, training, and performance evaluation.

The framework enables precise talent allocation, tailored training, and dynamic performance evaluation, aligning with World Health Organization (WHO)'s Health Workforce 2030 targets through its dual focus on technical proficiency and adaptive resilience.