Construction of the Competency Index System for Nursing Staff in Tertiary General Hospitals to Respond to Emerging Infectious Diseases

<b>Background:</b> The outbreak of emerging infectious diseases represents a crisis event that poses a threat to human beings. Nursing staff in the tertiary hospital, especially clinical nurses and nursing managers, serve as the frontline personnel in combating this crisis. However, there is a lack of clarity regarding the specific competencies required of them to respond to these emerging infectious diseases. <b>Methods:</b> The literature review, semi-structured interviews, and group discussion were adopted to collect and analyze the competency index. The Delphi technique was used for the examination and construction of the index system. <b>Results:</b> The development of the competency index system was a collaborative effort that involved 18 experts from eight provinces and cities across China. The system includes competency indexes for two types of nursing staff: clinical nurses and clinical nursing managers. Specifically, the competency index system for clinical nurses and nursing managers in tertiary general hospitals to respond to emerging infectious diseases comprises three first-level indexes. For clinical nurses, there are 20 second-level indexes and 65 third-level indexes, while for clinical nursing managers, there are 21 second-level indexes and 68 third-level indexes. <b>Conclusions:</b> The constructed competency index system for nursing staff in tertiary general hospitals to respond to emerging infectious diseases is scientific, reliable, comprehensive, and specific and may provide reference for nursing leaders to develop competency training programs for nursing emerging infectious diseases.