Towards a National Nursing and Midwifery Research Agenda: Validating Priorities Through Expert Consensus in Qatar.

INTRODUCTION

Qatar's ongoing healthcare transformation, aligned with the Qatar National Vision 2030, underscores the need for a robust nursing and midwifery research agenda to drive systemic improvements. While an earlier Delphi study identified initial research priorities, its stakeholder representation was limited in scope and diversity.

OBJECTIVE

To validate and refine Qatar's national nursing and midwifery research priorities through an expanded expert consensus.

METHODS

This study represents Phase Four of a previously conducted Delphi project. A new panel of 20 experts from public, private, academic, and primary healthcare institutions re-evaluated 30 research priorities using a 5-point Likert scale. The consensus was defined as ≥70% agreement. Quantitative analysis assessed consensus strength, while changes in item rankings were evaluated using inferential statistics.

RESULTS

High consensus was achieved across most items, with median ratings ranging from 4.0 to 5.0. Key validated priorities included transforming nursing education to integrate evidence-based practices (median = 5.0, interquartile range (IQR) = 4.0-5.0, 100% agreement), aligning nursing education with advances in healthcare technology (median = 5.0, IQR = 4.0-5.0, 100% agreement), and enhancing workforce development and retention (median = 5.0, IQR = 4.0-5.0, 100% agreement). Significant changes were observed in areas such as the influence of policy and legislation on nursing roles (p = .004), developing and evaluating nursing curricula and learning strategies (p = .029), and interprofessional collaboration (p = .026), indicating evolving national and institutional perspectives. Conversely, chronic disease management and palliative care showed a decline in priority (p = .009).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings reinforce and refine Qatar's national nursing and midwifery research priorities, emphasizing education reform, workforce resilience, and integrating innovation and leadership into nursing practice. The expanded consensus approach enhances the legitimacy and applicability of the research agenda, offering a foundational tool for guiding future research, policy, and academic development in Qatar's nursing and midwifery sector.