The purpose of this study was to develop a training program intended to improve nursing practice skills related to comprehensive community care wards.

　The program consists of two STEPs: STEP 1: Enhancement of direct nursing care skills for patients and families, and STEP 2: Enhancement of coordination and management skills to maintain and develop the comprehensive community care system. The program consisted of on-demand lectures, preliminary learning, and group training. The program was conducted with nurses working in the comprehensive community care wards of small- and medium-sized hospitals in Chiba Prefecture. Our evaluation indices were satisfaction, applicability of the program to future nursing care, and so on.

　The fifteen participants in the study had an average of 14.6 years of nursing experience and 3.6 years of experience in comprehensive community care wards. More than 90% of the participants in both STEPs answered “yes” to the question, “Can I apply the program to my future nursing practice?” It was suggested that the exchange of information with nurses from other hospitals in both STEPs, the discussion of discharge support cases in STEP 1, and the prior learning describing the discharge support system of their own organization and the strengths and challenges of social resources in the area in STEP 2 were highly commended.