Abstract Background Care for people living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) has evolved significantly over recent decades, requiring highly skilled professionals able to respond to the complex, fluctuating and multidimensional needs of these patients. The European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO), through the N-ECCO guideline, defines a profile of advanced competencies for nurses working in this field, emphasising the importance of specialised education, advanced practice and integration within multidisciplinary teams. In Portugal, despite the expansion of IBD clinics and dedicated units, the establishment of a formal and nationally recognised training pathway for specialised IBD nurses remained a gap until the recent development of dedicated academic programmes. Present the training pathway and development of advanced competencies for IBD nurses in Portugal, highlighting the creation of the Postgraduate Programme (PG) in IBD Nursing at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa (Lisbon and Porto), aligned with the N-ECCO competency framework and structured according to the Bologna Process. Methods Analytical description of the educational model, its theoretical foundations and the curriculum development process. The PG comprises 30 ECTS distributed across course units focused on pathophysiology, emerging therapies, stoma care, self-care, health education, management of complex cases and advanced practice competencies. The programme is supported scientifically by the Portuguese IBD Study Group (GEDII) and the National Association of IBD Nurses (ANEDII), promoting collaboration between academia, clinical practice and scientific societies. Results The curriculum structure enables the development of clinical, educational, research and management competencies, aligned with N-ECCO European standards. The initial cohorts of trained nurses demonstrate improved professional autonomy, enhanced clinical decision-making and increased involvement in quality improvement initiatives within gastroenterology services. Conclusion The creation of this PG represents a milestone for Nursing in Portugal, establishing a formal, recognised and evidence-based pathway for the development of advanced IBD nursing competencies. This educational investment contributes to safer, more integrated and more humanised care, benefiting patients, teams and healthcare institutions. References: 1. Royal College of Nursing. Framework for Professional Practice for Nurses Working in Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Adult and Paediatric Care Settings. London: Royal College of Nursing; 2024. 2. Mercuri C, D’Alessandro V, Zingone F, et al. Impact of nursing interventions via telephone and email on patients with inflammatory bowel disease: A controlled study. Healthcare. 2024;12(24):2538. doi:10.3390/healthcare12242538 3. Hill R, Lafferty R, Coates L, et al. A new framework for nurses working in paediatric IBD care. Gastrointestinal Nursing. 2024;22(2):88-95. doi:10.12968/gasn.2024.22.2.88 4. Schiavoni E, Papadatou B, Fragoulis E, et al. Exploring the competencies of inflammatory bowel disease nurses: a mixed-methods study. Ann Gastroenterol. Published online 2025. Available from: https://www.annalsgastro.gr 5. Lofiego Renosto F, Zamuner FE, Gasparini R, et al. Nursing interventions targeting fatigue in inflammatory bowel disease: A systematic review. Nurs Rep. 2023;6(3):47. doi:10.3390/nursrep6030047 6. Devi J, Jena A, Hassan A, et al. Global training in inflammatory bowel disease: Addressing growing challenges in IBD. Dig Dis Sci. 2025. doi:10.1007/s10620-025-09263-w Conflict of interest: Paranhos Martins, Sandra Cristina: No conflict of interest Maia, Clarisse: No conflict of interest
Martins et al. (Thu,) studied this question.