Analysis of the educational needs of nurses of the emergency services in the Veneto Region

The perceived level of competence of nurses working in the emergency services of the regione Veneto was evaluated with a questionnaire, distributed to the 906 nurses working in First aid and Emergency Departments. 490 questionnaires were returned (54%). The aim of the survey was to identify the educational needs of the nurses. The panel of experts that devised the questionnaire identified the main skills required by emergency nurses and set the standard level of performance to be achieved: 4.5 on a scale from 0 to 5. The mean level of performance for skills such as the identification of vital signs, ambu ventilation, cardiac massage, and oxygen delivery is never lower than 4. The areas of management of patients with cardiac arrhythmias, drowning syndrome, metabolic disorders, require specific reinforcement with ad hoc courses. The pattern of perceived competence is similar for the nurses that work in ambulances, in Emergency services and in First Aid Departments. While a better level of performance has been found in nurses working in emergency services. Language: it