Paediatric Nurse and territory: prospects and potentials

In recent years Pediatric Nursing has evolved in Italy by means of a regulatory and educational path that made it become an independent healthcare profession. Nowadays Pediatric Nurses mainly work in Hospital settings but UE regulations as well as recent Italian regional guidelines give Nurses a central role in primary healthcare. Goal: To investigate whether Italian Pediatric Nurses are prepared and ready to work in community and primary care settings, together with Pediatric General Practitioners. Using a standardized, semistructured ad hoc questionnaire, attitudes and opinions of Pediatric Nurses, Hospital Pediatricians and Pediatric General Practitioners were investigated. Also, an analysis was carried out of Pediatric Nurses' competences with regards of managing "white code". Is the Italian Healthcare system prepared to an increase of the role of Pediatric Nurses in primary care settings?Is this potentially effective to reduce healthcare costs and to improve healthcare quality?These are the main question the athour try to answer through this reaserch but not only. This book represent a inner reflection of this profession is all about and, above all, what it could be.