Development of family health nursing certificate program for Turkey: Delphi study

Background: There are 26,252 family medicine units and the same number of family health workers in Turkiye. However, the educational standards and professional identities of these employees differ from international definitions. Objectives: The aim of the study was to create a draft Family Health Nursing Certificate Program using the Delphi consensus technique. Methods: The study was conducted both online and face to face from 15 March to 25 May 2022. The research encompassed academic nurses working in the field of family health nursing and family health workers working in family health centres in Turkiye. Two rounds of the Delphi survey were undertaken. The first was completed by 38 experts and the second by 35 experts. Definition, title, education level, duties, and responsibilities of the family health nurse, along with consensus regarding the necessary certification, screening, follow-up and practices among family health nurses, were evaluated for the draft Family Health Nursing Certificate Program. The criteria for consensus on Likert-type questions were a width value of 1.50 and a percentage agreement of 75 %. Results: Consensus was reached at rates of 84.5 % and 62.2 % on the items in the first and second rounds, respectively, with rates of 89.2 % and 45 % on the Likert-type questions. At the end of the survey rounds, an 85.6 % consensus was reached on all topics and an 85.9 % consensus was reached on the Likert-type questions. Conclusions: The Family Health Nursing Certificate Program drafted by consensus can be used for nurses working in family health centers in Turkiye, to guide educational proficiency and standardization. It may also be used as a comprehensive guide in countries other than Turkiye.