Objective To construct a quality evaluation standard for nurse-patient therapeutic communication, in order to provide a reference for promoting effective communication between nurses and patients. Methods Based on the quality evaluation indicators of physician-patient communication, a preliminary draft of quality evaluation standard of nurse-patient therapeutic communication was formulated through literature review, then the Delphi method was used to conduct a two-round expert consultation among 27 experts to determine the quality evaluation criteria for nurse-patient therapeutic communication. Results Experts′ response rates were 96.43% and 100% in the 2 rounds, experts′ authority coefficient was 0.860, and Kendall′ s coefficients of concordance were 0.146 and 0.160 respectively (P<0.05 for both). The constructed quality evaluation standard for nurse-patient therapeutic communication included 2 first-level indicators (quality evaluation of communication process, quality evaluation of communication results), 3 second-level indicators (communication content, communication skills, communication effect), and 67 third-level indicators. Conclusion The constructed quality evaluation standard for nurse-patient communication is reliable, innovative and practical, and can be used to evaluate the quality of nurse-patient therapeutic communication.