Objective To construct a scientific and systematic core competence evaluation index system for nurses participating in ECMO technology,in order to provide references for the training,assessment and competence evaluation of nurses. Methods Through literature review and semi-structured interviews,the preliminary draft of the core competence evaluation index system for nurses participating in ECMO technology was formed in this study. From February to April 2021,25 experts from 6 provinces in China were consulted by Delphi method,and the weight of indexes at all levels was determined by analytic hierarchy process. Results The effective recovery rates of the 2 rounds of expert consultations were 90.00% and 92.59%,respectively;the expert authority coefficient was 0.886,and the Kendall harmony coefficient was 0.205（P<0.001） in the second round. The final core competence evaluation index system for nurses participating in ECMO technology includes 7 first-level indexes,19 second-level indexes and 70 third-level indexes. The first-level indexes include professional knowledge,clinical practice ability,critical thinking ability,professional development ability,communication and coordination ability,management ability,and personal traits. Conclusion The core competence evaluation index system for nurses participating in ECMO technology in this study was scientific and reliable,which can provide valuable references for the training,assessment and competence evaluation of nurses.

Objective To explore the core competence of ECMO specialist nurses in China and to provide standards for training ECMO specialist nurses. Methods With qualitative research methods,semi-structured interviews were conducted among 10 nurses who managed ECMO independently,3 ICU physicians,2 perfusionists and 3 head nurses. Content analysis was used to summarize and extract the theme. Results 7 themes were extracted,including professional knowledge,clinical practice ability,critical thinking ability,professional development ability,communication and coordination ability,management ability,and personal traits. Conclusion The core competences of ECMO specialist nurses are comprehensive. It is necessary to pay attention to and strengthen these 7 core competences of ECMO specialist nurses,so as to meet the needs of ECMO specialized nursing development.