The ideal attributes of chief nurses in Europe: a Delphi study for WHO/Europe

Advancing the role of the chief nurse in member countries of WHO/Europe will necessitate the systematic selection and recruitment of suitable postholders, together with a critical pathway for development both of new recruits and existing personnel. To inform this process, it is essential that the attributes considered to be important in a chief nurse are identified. To this end, a Delphi study was initially undertaken of 22 Member States. Consensus was reached by the second round, in which 12 countries participated. Sixteen qualities were deemed to be important and these can be used to inform the future development of the chief nurse role in Europe.