Constructing a Competency Evaluation Index System for Nursing Positions in a Chronic Kidney Disease Management Centre

Ruxian Wei,* Huimei Lv,* Gaiying Jiang, Xueqing Wang, Nan Zhang, Songjia Guo Nephrology Department, Shanxi Provincial People’s Hospital, Taiyuan, 030001, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Ruxian Wei, Nephrology Department, Shanxi Provincial People’s Hospital, No. 29, Shuangtasi Street, Taiyuan, 030001, People’s Republic of China, Email weiruxian_x@163.comObjective: The Chronic Kidney Disease Management Centre (CKDMC) primarily focuses on developing a new system for early screening, standardised diagnosis, treatment, and the long-term follow-up management of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) to enhance CKD prevention and management. Nurses play a pivotal role in the comprehensive management of CKD, contributing considerably to the improvement of patient survival. Consequently, this study constructs an evaluation index system for nursing positions in the CKDMC, delineating the required competencies of nurses and providing a foundation for their targeted training.Methods: A literature review and semi-structured interviews were used to develop the competency evaluation index system for nursing positions at the CKDMC. The Delphi method, involving expert correspondence, was employed over two rounds of inquiry with 16 experts, focusing on screening, modifying, and refining the indicators at all levels.Results: The response rates for the first and second rounds of the questionnaire were 100% and 93.8%, respectively, with expert authority coefficients of 0.73 for both rounds. The finalised competency evaluation index system includes 3 primary indicators (theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and professional attitude), 10 secondary indicators, and 44 tertiary indicators.Conclusion: The study successfully established a CKD specialist nurse competency evaluation index system comprising 3 primary, 10 secondary, and 44 tertiary indicators. The consensus among experts was high, rendering the results scientific, objective, and reliable. This system can serve as a basis for the training, selection, and competency evaluation of nursing professionals in CKDMCs.Keywords: chronic kidney disease, management centre, competency, index system