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Gesundheitsökonomie & Qualitätsmanagement
DOI: 10.1055/a-2747-4658
Original Article

Competency Profile of Community Health Nurses in Austria: A Qualitative Analysis of the Relevance and Prioritization of Key Professional Competencies

Kompetenzprofil von Community Health Nurses in Österreich: Eine qualitative Analyse der Relevanz und Priorisierung von beruflichen Schlüsselkompetenzen

Authors

  • Harald Lidauer

    1   Institute for Management and Economics in Healthcare, UMIT TIROL Private University for Health Sciences and Technology GmbH, Hall in Tirol, Austria

  • Harald Stummer

    1   Institute for Management and Economics in Healthcare, UMIT TIROL Private University for Health Sciences and Technology GmbH, Hall in Tirol, Austria
    2   Business Administration, Private University Schloss Seeburg, Seekirchen am Wallersee, Austria

  • Michaela Schaffhauser-Linzatti

    3   Faculty of Business, Economics and Statistics: Governance of Non-Profit Institutions, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Abstract

Community health nurses are important at community level for strengthening primary care and health-promoting structures. In the Austrian context, the relevance and prioritization of 13 internationally identified areas of competence are examined by means of problem-centered, guided interviews. All competence areas were identified as relevant, especially prevention, communication, evidence-based practice, and networking; others, such as disaster preparedness and research, are considered contextually relevant. The results underline the crucial role of community health nurses in providing access to healthcare, especially in structurally underserved regions. However, their professionalization and effectiveness require continuous skills development through training with a generalist foundation and context-specific specializations. Community Health Nurses

Zusammenfassung

Community Health Nurses sind auf Gemeindeebene wichtig zur Stärkung der Primärversorgung und gesundheitsfördernder Strukturen. Im österreichischen Kontext werden Relevanz und Priorisierung 13 international identifizierter Kompetenzbereiche mittels problemzentrierten, leitfadengestützten Interviews untersucht. Alle Kompetenzbereiche wurden als relevant eingestuft, besonders Prävention, Kommunikation, evidenzbasierte Praxis und Vernetzung; andere, wie Katastrophenvorsorge und Forschung gelten als kontextuell bedeutsam. Die Ergebnisse unterstreichen die entscheidende Rolle von Community Health Nurses für den Zugang zur Gesundheitsversorgung, insbesondere in strukturell unterversorgten Regionen. Ihre Professionalisierung und Wirksamkeit erfordern jedoch eine kontinuierliche Kompetenzentwicklung durch eine Ausbildung mit generalistischen Grundlagen und kontextspezifischen Spezialisierungen.

Keywords

Austria - Community Health Nurses - Core Competencies - Qualification Profile

Schlüsselwörter

Österreich - Community Health Nurses - Kernkompetenzen - Anforderungsprofil


Publication History

Received: 26 June 2025

Accepted: 09 October 2025

Article published online:
19 February 2026

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