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Background: Although communication and counseling skills are essential for nursing profession, specific educational program are not so widespread., Aim: Evaluation of the improvement of Counseling skills as a result of a specific training., Methods: A multi-center pilot study with pre-post test design with a convenience sample of 65 students was carried out. The Counseling training consisted in three consecutive levels over a period of six months for a total of six days. To measure the ability of reformulation, basic tool of Counseling, a questionnaire was used with 20 interviews (hypothetical interview between health professional and patient)., Results: 62 students participated. The sample is composed mainly by females (84%), the average age is 23 years. The average value of BEES (level of empathy) is 41 points (± SD 11.5), the value does not correlate with age nor gender. Before the training (PRE) most of the students identified as the most suitable approach/strategy to deal with educational problems that investigative (347-27%) and the relational one. At the end of intervention (POST) most of the students used a comprehension approach/strategy (90% of the responses), opposed to before the course (18%)., Conclusion: The training course, shows to lead to a significant improvement in using comprehension strategies to deal with issues of educational assistance of clients.

Introdution: Immigration is growing and immigrants' presence is important also in the health care system, thereby services reorientation and a multicultural approach are needed., Objective: To explore health care professionals' training needs of Turin Azienda Città della Salute e della Scienza in taking care of foreign users., Methods: An ad hoc 4-sections questionnaire was built: (1) Knowledge, attitudes and perceptions; (2) Lived and Training; (3) Improvement in cultural competence; (4) Socio-demographic data. Questions were dichotomous (yes/no), closed and short open. Doctors, nurses, speech therapists and support staff of the "Head and Neck" Department were involved., Results: One hundred seventy-six operators answered (75%). Less than 20% (n=34) knew the normative concerning immigrants' health services use; tubercolosis, venereal diseases and AIDS were believed to be the most frequent diseases in foreign users. Female sex (p=0.008) and allied health care profile (trend p=0051) were significantly associated to consider clients' values important, while a previous training was associated to the need of improving their knowledge (p=0.0002). The most important training needs were: meaning of illness and care, perception of prevention, hygiene and self-care practices and perception of care. Among the most effective strategies: lecture and discussion, group work and filmography., Conclusion: The analysis shows the main needing education areas and the training strategies which operators considered more effective.

It is always difficult to measure the quality and efficacy of a formative event. The event assessed in this study was an outdoor course and the aspects considered were the degree of satisfaction, the increase of knowledge, modifications in behavior and working actions and organized change (4 levels according to Kirkpatrick). Data were collected by means of a questionnaire which the 28 course participants were asked to fill in. Some aspects were statistically tested to evaluate eventual associations between the role of the participant and the answer given but these were not found to be significant. Results showed a good levels of satisfaction and knowledge increase which, in terms of working procedures and individual behavior, resulted in better team-building and mutual appreciation, whereas organizational changes were rather limited and sometimes reflected disappointment. The study made the Health Authority aware of the value of human resources and of the fact that a formative event which acts on feelings and behavior may be the key to success in bringing about deep and lasting changes.