Development and validation of flight nurse competencies in the Brazilian aeromedical context
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36517/2175-6783.20262796153Keywords:
Nursing; Prehospital Care; Air Ambulances; Professional Competence; Validation Study.Abstract
Objective: to develop and validate professional competencies for flight nurses in aeromedical services, grounded in Brazilian regulations and legislation. Methods: this methodological study was conducted in two stages: 1) a documentary review of Brazilian regulations and legislation, which identified 176 documents, of which nine were selected to support the development of the competency framework; 2) content validation by experts using the e-Delphi technique. Fifteen evaluators participated in the first round and eleven in the second. The Content Validity Index was calculated, with a minimum agreement threshold of 80%. Results: the final framework comprised 37 competencies distributed across four categories: technical care delivery, professional and regulatory responsibility, operational management and planning, and flight safety, organized into the pre-flight, in-flight, post-flight, and operational cycle phases. The overall content validity index was 0.91, confirming the consistency and relevance of the validated competencies. Conclusion: the competency framework developed and validated in this study strengthens alignment among training, professional regulation, and operational safety, promoting greater clarity in role expectations and standardization of care practices. Contributions to practice: organizing competencies by flight phases and work processes facilitates the standardization of care practices aligned with Brazilian regulations and contributes to safety in aeromedical services.
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The authors declare that the full dataset and supplementary materials supporting the results of this study are available upon request from the corresponding author.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Keyla Cristiane do Nascimento, André Ricardo Moreira, Luciana Bihain Hagemann de Malfussi, Amantino Rodrigues Raulino, Nelson Augusto Mendes, Larissa Sell Sousa
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