Develop and validate family nurse practitioner transition program in Taiwan by using modified Delphi method

Background: Previous studies have shown that family nurse practitioners (FNPs) provide an important contribution to health promotion and disease management in primary care. Nevertheless, the position of FNP does not exist in Taiwan. In Taiwan, the leading cause of most disability and death is diabetes, for which an FNP has great potential to fulfill healthcare needs. Therefore, establishing how to cultivate competent FNPs is an important issue. It is feasible to train current acute care nurse practitioners (NPs) to become FNPs through enrollment in a transition program. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to develop an FNP transition program, including the necessary competencies and curriculum. Design: A modified Delphi method (use of an expert panel) is used to validate the preliminary curriculum of an FNP transition program. Settings: The Delph method conducted through email and physical meetings. Participants: Four expert panel groups involve in this project with different group has its own mission. Totally, there were 14 experts completed the transition program. Methods: A modified Delphi method was used to validate the competencies and curriculum. Descriptive data analysis was used to evaluate the target consensus of 80%. Results: This study provided the first FNP transition program design in Taiwan, based on the global literature and a local gap analysis. Conclusions: Nursing faculty, healthcare delivery system administration leaders, and policymakers can use the curriculum to train current NPs to become competent FNPs to provide optimal quality of care in the community.