title: Effectiveness of an Education Program on Donation and Transplant Aimed at Students of the Nursing Degree Course.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Health workers' awareness and knowledge of transplant medicine can improve people's sensitivity and reduce their degree of opposition to donations. The medical literature contains numerous examples of education programs aimed at university students. This work describes the experience of an education program for students of the second and third year of a nursing degree course.
  
  
  METHODS
  From April to September 2013, an education program was set up for 80 university students. It was divided into 3 stages: group self-learning based on prearranged topics, sharing of the results, and participation in the final seminar. The effectiveness was assessed according to a pretest/posttest design.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The first questionnaire contained 19 questions, and the second contained 27. The questions were subdivided into specific areas: subjective knowledge, objective knowledge, attitude, awareness, participation in the event, evaluation of the information material handed out, and appreciation of the tools used. There was a significant increase for items relating to knowledge, whereas awareness and attitude (already high at the start of the program) showed no changes. After the program, many students discussed the question of donation with their relatives and friends, and about 70% filled in a donor card. The students expressed a highly positive opinion of the initiative and the tools used.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The initiative proved its validity, improving subjective and objective knowledge to a statistically significant extent and also increasing awareness and attitude. The students' evaluation was extremely positive.
authors.affiliation: Piedmont Regional Tissue and Organ Procurement Coordination Agency, Molinette Hospital, Torino, Italy. Electronic address: rpotenza@cittadellasalute.to.it.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Potenza
authors.affiliation: Piedmont Regional Tissue and Organ Procurement Coordination Agency, Molinette Hospital, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guermani
authors.affiliation: Piedmont Regional Tissue and Organ Procurement Coordination Agency, Molinette Hospital, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peluso
authors.affiliation: Piedmont Regional Tissue and Organ Procurement Coordination Agency, Molinette Hospital, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Casciola
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Cottolengo Hospital, Little House of Diving Providence, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ginosa
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Cottolengo Hospital, Little House of Diving Providence, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sperlinga
authors.affiliation: Piedmont Regional Tissue and Organ Procurement Coordination Agency, Molinette Hospital, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: P P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Donadio
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D004506:Education, Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016377:Organ Transplantation / Q000193:education*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014019:Tissue Donors; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement; D055815:Young Adult