To create a training outline for intensive care unit (ICU) specialist nurses and assess its clinical application value.

The literature analysis and semi-structured interview methods were used to form the ICU specialist nurse training outline, the Delphi method was used for expert consultation and certification, and the ICU specialist training outline and rules were made. Finally, the weight of each training item was recorded by the analytic hierarchy process and expert scoring method. Twelve nurses in the ICU specialist department in our hospital were chosen as the research subjects, and the six-dimensional (6-D) scale was used to compare the work ability of these ICU nurses before and after training.

The results of weight analysis showed that the weights of the first-level indicators of job knowledge, professionalism, and interpersonal relationship in the ICU training outline were 0.517, 0.262, and 0.221 respectively. The weight range of second-level indicators such as training content was 0.036~0.201, and the weight range of third-level indexes was 0.0039~0.016. The effective recovery rate of the two rounds of consultation were 92.00% and 98.00%, and the proportion of experts who proposed the consultation were 76.00% and 70.00%, respectively. The expert authority coefficient was 0.72~1.00, with an average value of 0.89. The scores of ICU nurses' leadership, teaching and cooperation, critical patient monitoring, plan evaluation, communication, and professional dimensions of the 6-D scale after training were significantly higher than those before training (P＜0.05).

The training outline for ICU specialist nurses developed by semi-structured interviews and expert consultation is complete, which can help to improve the competence of ICU nurses.