Construction and Adjustment of the Training Program for Hospice Care Nursing Specialists Based on the Delphi Method

: Objectives : This study aimed to construct a novel training program focused on the cultivation of practical skills, in order to provide a reference for the training of hospice care (HС) nursing specialists in China. Methods : This study applied Delphi method to collect and analyze opinions of selected experts from different regions and organizations in China, who have knowledge or practical experience related to HC. Results : From October to December 2020, a total of 17 experts from 14 tertiary hospitals and 3 nursing colleges across China participated in the survey. In the first round, out of 17 experts 16 responded, with the expert positive coefficient of 93.8%. For the two rounds of survey, expert’s levels of familiarity with the field were 0.938 and 0.938, while expert’s judgment criterions were 0.868 and 0.878. Thus the authority coefficients for the two rounds were 0.903 and 0.908, indicating high enough degree of authority of the participating experts. Training content covered the overview of HC, comfort care, heart-spirit-community support, hospice services, ethics and law, communication skills and stress response. After proposed adjustments the final training program for HС nursing specialists included 8 first-level sections, 24 second-level sections, and 57 third-level sections, designed for theoretical training time of 4 weeks and practical training of 8 weeks. Conclusion : The new training program for Hospice Care nursing specialists was constructed and evaluated by experts. Content of the program was considered to be comprehensive and reliable, and could provide a reference for the training of HC nursing specialists in China.