Catanzaro is confirmed as one of the reference points of the Calabria Region for the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer.
After the establishment of the ROCAL ( Calabrese Oncological Network ) , the objective of offering oncological diagnosis and treatment services was pursued by the "Renato Dulbecco" University Hospital (the largest health center in Calabria resulting from the merger by incorporation of the "Pugliese Ciaccio" hospital into the "Mater Domini" university hospital) with the application of the regional indications on PDTA ( Diagnostic Therapeutic Assistance Path ) , the center in fact, it defined the corporate application version and obtained the first PDTA certification for lung cancer , in accordance with ISO 9001, in the Calabrian region.
This first and important result was achieved thanks to the team work of over 10 hospital units located in different hospitals within the city.
The project stems from the hospital structure's desire for objective validation by a third-party body through the ISO 9001 international certification, the only recognized standard for participation in international research calls and tenders, carried out by CSQA , thanks to the operational contribution of OPT and the non-conditioning contribution of Roche.
Some numbers of the project
The certification project involved over 25 clinicians from various hospitals, guaranteeing the process:
- 18 weekly outpatient visits dedicated to medical oncology;
- 10 bronchological evaluations per week;
- 20 cases discussed each month by a multidisciplinary team;
- 1 preferential access service for referring patients from GPs.
Furthermore, the quality of the services is confirmed by the high volumes of activity on the PDTA in question shown below:
- over 300 outpatient oncology visits ;
- 62 radiotherapy services;
- 85 thoracic surgeries;
- over 500 bronchoscopies per year.
To ensure the appropriateness of the path, a multidisciplinary team will aim to guarantee the best diagnosis and treatment procedure for the patient, which will be discussed within 7 days of diagnosis within the multidisciplinary evaluation unit.
On the other hand, the advantage is also for the healthcare organization itself, which will thus see the diagnostic-therapeutic-assistance process simplified and optimized.
A project destined to grow
All this will certainly allow for better diagnostic-therapeutic appropriateness and therefore a reduction in waste , also made possible by a company reporting system. Last but not least, with the CAO , real cooperation between the territory and hospital structures is finally achieved, which could be paradigmatic for future evolutions.
« The project was born in the context of pulmonary neoplasms as it is a clinical area with high demands », declares Dr. Vito Barbieri, Director of SOC Medical Oncology at PO De Lellis of Catanzaro and project coordinator. « But nothing prevents it from being extended to other oncological diseases in the future. Our hope is that this model can also be useful in the management of many other chronic diseases".
“ The project denotes strong attention to the needs of citizens and a full awareness that the treatment process passes through many services and operating units. This approach follows the regional, national and international guidelines, giving an organizational and objective response” declares Dr. Massimo Dutto, Head of Life Sciences of CSQA . “ The decision to adopt ISO 9001 as a standard guarantees the comparability of the model and the results at an international level ”