Construction of an index system for qualitative evaluation of undergraduate nursing students innovative ability: A Delphi study

Abstract Aim and objective To establish an index system for the evaluation of undergraduate nursing student innovation ability. Background An index system for evaluation of undergraduate nursing student innovation ability has not been established. Design A three‐round Delphi survey sought opinions from experts about the index system for evaluation of undergraduate nursing student innovation ability. Methods A Delphi survey was used for the study of 19 experts from nursing education, clinical nursing and health management. The consistency of consultation results formed the basis for determining the rounds of consultation. With the importance of consulting experts in the last round, we established the judgement matrix using yaahp7.5 software and the analytic hierarchy process and determined the weight coefficient of each index. A modified recommendation for the Conducting and Reporting of Delphi studies (CREDES) was used to guide this study. Results Nineteen experts from 10 nursing colleges and nine third‐level first‐class hospitals in seven domestic provinces/municipalities were included in this study. The index system was divided into primary, secondary and tertiary levels. Consensus was reached on three primary indicators (‘spirit’, ‘ability’ and ‘achievement’), nine secondary indicators and 28 tertiary indicators. Conclusions A unified and hierarchical quality assessment index framework for nursing undergraduate creative ability was established. The framework should be further tested and improved in practice. Relevance to clinical practice Nursing students are the main force behind clinical nursing in the future. An innovative approach to skill acquisition and application could enhance the student nurse experience. The innovative ability of nursing students is important for identification of education strategies that be implemented to better support those individuals. Furthermore, the construction of the index system is helpful for evaluation of the innovation ability of nursing students that are required to better meet the needs of clinical nursing work in the future.