Instruments for assessing geriatric nursing competence among nursing personnel: protocol for a COSMIN-based systematic review
Huiqiong Chen, Xiuwen Chen, Lu Lin, Bingyu Li, Qiang Peng, Zihan Shen, Liqing YueIntroduction
Accelerated population ageing has resulted in increasingly diverse and complex care needs among older people, posing a major challenge to healthcare systems worldwide. Nursing personnel represent a core workforce in the delivery of healthcare and nursing services for older people, and their geriatric nursing competence (GNC) is closely associated with the quality of care provided, care outcomes and older people’s quality of life. Therefore, accurate assessment of GNC is essential for nursing education, workforce development and quality improvement. Although several instruments have been developed to assess GNC, no systematic review has yet comprehensively evaluated their measurement properties.
Methods and analysis
This protocol is reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 statement. A comprehensive search will be conducted from 1 October 2026 to 1 December 2026 in seven English-language databases and two Chinese-language databases to identify studies reporting the development or evaluation of instruments assessing geriatric nursing competence among nursing personnel. Two reviewers will independently perform study selection, data extraction and methodological quality appraisal. Any disagreements will be resolved through discussion or, if necessary, consultation with a third reviewer. The measurement properties of included instruments will be evaluated using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) methodology.
Ethics and dissemination
As this review will include only published or publicly available studies, ethical approval is not required. The findings will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at relevant academic conferences.
PROSPERO registration number
CRD420261356885.