Core shared competencies between physicians and nurses in primary care: a Delphi study in Korea

This study aimed to identify core shared competencies required for effective physician-nurse collaboration in primary care.

A three-round Delphi survey was conducted from November 2024 to February 2025 with 30 experts (12 physicians, 18 nurses), including family medicine professors, primary care physicians, nursing professors, and practicing nurses. Experts evaluated the importance and roles of interprofessional team approaches using online questionnaires. Quantitative analyses included mean, standard deviation, and content validity ratio (CVR).

The first round confirmed the necessity of interprofessional teamwork in cases such as chronic disease management, rehabilitation, elderly care, and mental health. Essential team members were physicians, nurses, and social workers, with additional professionals engaged as needed. Through iterative consensus, six shared competencies were derived: (1) patient-centered integrated care, (2) treatment plan development and implementation, (3) communication and collaboration, (4) professional development as a team member, (5) Evaluation and feedback on service outcomes, and (6) disease prevention and health promotion. All items met consensus criteria (CVR ≥0.34).

These findings clarify physician-nurse shared competencies in primary care and provide a foundation for developing competency-based interprofessional curricula and training programs to enhance collaborative care quality and patient outcomes.