The Development of an e-platform to Strengthen Nursing in Kazakhstan: a Systematic Review and a Delphi Study to Define Requirements

Background: To strengthen nursing in Kazakhstan, an e-platform has been developed to support knowledge sharing and collaboration in nursing education, nursing research, and clinical practice. Objective: This study aims to identify and prioritize requirements for an e-platform to strengthen nursing in the trinity of nursing education, nursing research, and clinical practice. Methods: The research was conducted using an exploratory sequential mixed-method design, including a systematic review and a Delphi study. The systematic review utilized search terms concerning nursing, e-platform, research, and education. The Delphi study included two rounds of questionnaires among a panel of Kazakh and European experts. Outcomes were analyzed using content validity ratios and level of consensus thresholds. Results: The systematic review generated eight studies and identified nine categories of requirements to be covered by four groups in the Delphi study. These four groups were content-related, functional, usability, and technical requirements. The study generated 52 essential and 15 useful requirements, which are common in the literature and in experts’ opinions. Conclusion: The list of requirements is well embedded in the literature as well as in the national context of nursing in Kazakhstan. Therefore, the e-platform developed according to these requirements will contribute to improving the trinity of nursing education, research, and practice. Although the list is context-specific, when validated by a panel of experts, it is universally applicable when developing e-platforms for nursing. © 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.