The role of family caregivers is essential for optimal treatment of patients with chronic diseases since it ensures the compliance to treatment, continuity of care, emotional and social support. Despite the significant value of informal caregiving, the relatives report not to have the necessary knowledge and skills to provide ongoing support to the family member with chronic disease and, therefore, show the need to be educated in their role as caregivers. The reliance on family caregivers unprepared for the daily management of the illness patients may threaten the patients' quality of life and, moreover, contributes to increase the burden of care of the caregiver by exposing it to the risk of psychosocial distress. The Nursing Department of Campus Bio-Medico of Rome have addressed such a need promoting training courses on family caregivers since 2011 with the goal of supporting families in the acquisition of specific skills related to health care of patients with chronic conditions. The UCBM educational program has been developed in order to convey knowledge tools especially for: the role and challenges of the caregiver, the supply of health services to support patients and the family member. The UCBM educational program has been structured in lessons to analyze the deepening of chronic diseases related to different areas of medical interventions and in practical sessions guided by a nurse specialist in order to support the family in the acquisition of skills and competencies for the care management of patients at home. The positive feedback, received from users who have attended the two past editions of the UCBM educational program, demonstrates the importance of acquiring technical knowledge and practical tools that are essential to independently manage all aspects of patient care. It's important to notice, moreover, that learning these skills will support the family in the patient management, both in short and long term, and that is very relevant considering the temporal characteristics of the chronic disease.
Keywords: education; educational programm; family caregivers.