Determination of COVID-19 Nursing Research Priorities in Iran: Delphi Technique

Considering the important role of nurses in the COVID-19 disease pandemic, determining Corona nursing research priorities can improve the quality of health services. Therefore, this study was conducted to compile nursing research priorities in COVID-19 in Iran by Delphi method.

In this descriptive Delphi study, 55 nursing experts and officials in the field of Corona nursing from all over Iran were purposefully included in the study. Initially, based on scientific documents and experts' opinions, a preliminary questionnaire including Corona nursing research priorities with a score of 1-3 and an open-ended question was sent to the participants in two consecutive stages. In the first stage, 30 and in the second stage, 20 individuals answered. Qualitative data were analyzed by content analysis method and quantitative data were analyzed by calculating the mean and standard deviation of the response score at each stage with SPSS software version 21.

Analysis of findings led to the compilation of 77 final priorities in six areas of emotional psychology (8 items), educational research area (16 items), nursing management area (16 items), nursing care area (11 items), prevention area and epidemiology (21 items), and the field of management health technology (6 items) and was agreed upon.

The complied research priorities can be a guide for future research activities even in the post-corona period. It can also purposefully target the resources and budgets allocated to research.