Development and Evaluation of a Nurse Competency Assessment System for Public Health Emergencies

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Public Health
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Effective management of public health emergencies (PHEs) relies on skilled nursing staff.
• Standardized tools are needed to assess nurse competencies in designated PHE hospitals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct and evaluate a competency assessment system for nurses in hospitals designated for PHEs, particularly novel respiratory infectious diseases.
• To establish a standardized tool for assessing nursing skills in infectious disease care.

Main Methods:

• Developed a competency assessment index system using literature analysis, interviews, and Delphi expert consultation.
• Employed the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) for indicator weighting.
• Conducted a usability evaluation with 80 nurses via a satisfaction survey.

Main Results:

• Achieved high expert consensus (response rates 95-100%, authority coefficient 0.902, significant Kendall's W).
• The system comprises 4 first-level, 13 second-level, and 56 third-level indicators.
• Demonstrated high reliability and validity (Cronbach's alpha 0.990, S-CVI/Ave 0.996) with high nurse satisfaction (18.69/20).

Conclusions:

• The developed competency assessment system is scientifically valid, reliable, and practical for nurses in PHE designated hospitals.
• Provides a robust framework for selecting, training, and assessing nurses for PHE preparedness and response.