What is the purpose of the study?
Planning and envisioning the future of the intensive care unit (ICU) is essential in addressing patient-centred care needs, integrating technological advances, and creating a more adaptable, intelligent, and human-centred environment. The European Society of Intensive Care Medicine’s (ESICM) endorsed the conduction of the SHINE study—Shaping ICU Nurses Future—to explore ICU nurses’ perspectives on the evolution of their professional role by 2030 and beyond. This study aims to provide a foundational understanding to guide workforce planning, policy development, and professional education within critical care nursing.
The objectives of the study are:
1. Critically analyse intensive care nurses’ anticipated professional roles and responsibilities in the future.
2. Prioritise and reach consensus on identified perspectives.
3. Develop and validate a survey instrument to disseminate to a wider international population of intensive care nurses.
Why have I been invited to take part?
You are invited to participate in this study because you work in an ICU. To ensure the study’s representativeness and depth, purposive sampling will be used to recruit ICU nursing experts who meet clearly defined inclusion criteria. These criteria ensure both professional relevance and diversity within the panel.
Inclusion criteria are:
(1) currently employed in any type of ICU setting
(2) representation across different age groups
(3) active registration with the relevant National Nursing Regulatory Bodies
(4) gender balance to support diverse perspectives
(5) varied roles within ICU settings to capture a comprehensive range of professional experiences and
(6) diverse geographical representation, including both resource-rich and resource-limited
settings.
How to participate
The questionnaire is available in 𝟵 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀:
Incentive
Complete all three Delphi rounds and enter a lottery to win 1 of 12 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗦 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 in Lisbon, Portugal
We warmly encourage you to take part and share your perspective on the future of intensive care nursing.
Lead researcher: Dr Katerina Iliopoulou
Steering Committee: Carole Boulanger, Prof Ruth Kleinpell, Dr Peter Nydahl, Dr Julia Philippou, Dr Brandi Vanderspank-Wright, Dr Andreas Xyrichis, Prof Mark van den Boogaard
Ethics Approval Number: MRA-24/25-48726
Closing Date: 6/5/2026