title: Continuing education in medicine: a useful tool for nurses' empowerment in renal transplantation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Continuing Education in Medicine (CEM) underlines the importance of updates and information for the health care team. Our aim was to describe the organization and results of a CEM course "educate to organ donation" that involved the nursing team in an educational experience with high school students. The course consists of theory (4 hours; the physician-patient relationship, the educational role of the nurse, the teaching policy, checklist, and results of a school education program) and practice (10 hours; the attendants join the teaching team in the classrooms and in the plenary session). Analysis of anonymous questionnaires performed after the course contained semistructured questions and analog scales.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The first acknowledgment came from the Cabinet of Public Health, which gave the maximum number of credits (14 for 14 education hours).
  
  
  METHODS
  presently 40 nurses, about 40% of those working in the renal unit (over 30 CEM courses are available in the hospital). Satisfaction: Overall score was median 8.5 (6 to 10) including teaching materials = 8 (4 to 10). Among the theoretical part, the lesson on patient-physician relationship obtained the highest score. The main drawback was the shortness of the practical part. The classroom meeting achieved a median score of 9.5 (7 to 10), the general session = 9 (5 to 10). All but one nurse registered for an "advanced" course, giving more time to the practical part (20 hours).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CEM may represent an important way to deliver education on transplant-related issues to patients and to the general population.
authors.affiliation: Centro Didattico, University of Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dell'Olio
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mezza
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rossetti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Soragna
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Putaggio
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Burdese
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gai
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Motta
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vespertino
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Consiglio
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tattoli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bonetto
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Segoloni
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Piccoli
mesh_terms: D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000451:nursing*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011209:Power, Psychological