e-Delphi Technique in Postgraduate Registered Nursing Education and Competency Development: A Scoping Review

The Delphi technique has become an increasingly popular method to assess and clarify competencies in nursing research as it has been recognized for its ability to capture a profession's collective or implicit knowledge. The Delphi technique is a research method that draws upon the knowledge of a group of experts to review specific content on a subject and reach consensus. One area of research in which inherent knowledge is difficult to assess is the development of clinical nurse instructor competencies (CNIC). Currently, there are no defined competencies for clinical nurse instructors (CNIs) in Canada. This lack of standardized competencies to prepare CNIs poses a threat to the consistency, continuity, and delivery of quality clinical education. Here, Bownes and Giannotti explore the use of the e-Delphi technique to support the future development of CNICs in postgraduate nursing education and competency development.