Different efficacy of alcohol education tools among trainee nurses

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The evaluation of the efficacy of two different forms of s cientific information concerning alcohol-related problems (ARP), among Ital ian trainee nurses. METHODOLOGY: A specific questionnaire, investigating the awareness of ARP, was distributed to 193 trainee nurses, 158 enrolled in the Italian Red Cros s School for Professional Nurses at S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital in Bologna and 35 enrolled in the Professional Nursing School at the Social Security I nstitute in the Republic of San Marine, who had attended a scientific meeti ng on ARP in the last year. Eighty-one nurses (62 belonging to the Red Cros s School of Bologna and 19 to the Professional Nursing School of San Marine ), had previously been given an information package on ARP (Group A). One h undred twelve subjects (96 belonging to the Red Cross School of Bologna and 16 to the Professional Nursing School of San Marine) did not read the spec ialized material (Group B). RESULTS: The results showed a statistically significant difference in the p ercentage of correct answers between Group A (25.98%) and Group B (21.80%). The percentage of correct answers among the Bologna trainee nurses were al ways significantly lower than that of the San Marine nurses. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest a scant awareness and interest in ARP am ong trainee nurses and show that courses and lectures are more effective th an scientific printed material.