Development of an international curriculum for respiratory nurses (ICRN) : a global needs survey

Introduction: A coronavirus pandemic confirmed that respiratory nurses are critical healthcare providers. Knowledge about appropriate education for quality respiratory nursing care is limited. The ERS Nurses Chair formed the ICRN group to develop a core curriculum for respiratory nurses. Aims: The study surveyed the need for an international core respiratory nursing curriculum and current curricula that exist globally. Methods: A 39-item survey was sent to 33 respiratory nursing experts in 27 countries. Items included current roles, perception of need/expectations for a core curriculum, and respiratory content in nursing education in their countries. Results: Thirty responses from 25 countries were analyzed; participants worked in academia (53%)/clinical practice (40%). The need for a core respiratory nursing curriculum was confirmed (97%). Post-registration nursing programs at bachelor (63.3%) and masters (43.3%) levels included internal/medical nursing care; less than half identified separate respiratory nursing content. Consensus was that a core educational program should include knowledge (70%), skills (60%), and competencies (50%), with separate pediatric and adult content. Conclusion: The vast variation in formal respiratory nursing education globally confirms the need for a core respiratory curriculum. The ICRN will next use a Delphi study to identify core curricular elements for respiratory nursing education.