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Background Government actions play a critical role in shaping healthy food environments, which can improve population's diet and decrease the burden of disease. This study aims to determine and compare the level of policy implementation for healthy food environments in Italy with reference to international benchmarks and make prioritized recommendations based on the identified implementation gaps. Methods The Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI) tool from the International Network for Food and Obesity/NCDs Research, Monitoring and Action Support (INFORMAS) was adapted for the Italian context. This tool includes two components, thirteen domains and fifty good practice indicators, which were verified with experts from National Health Institute (NHI). Evidence for implementation was gathered and summarized for all fifty indicators from data sources such as governmental websites, non-government organizations publications and websites and via direct contact with government officials. After collecting all evidence, experts from the NHI verified the completeness and accuracy of it. The evidence document will be presented to stakeholders, aiming to seek consensus on the priority actions to be implemented by the Italian Government to improve food environments. Results The evidence for policy implementation concerning Italy varied among domains and indicators. We found the highest level of evidence within three domains: Food Composition (2/2 indicators), Food Labelling (3/4 indicators) and Food Promotion (4/5 indicators). The domains with less identified evidence were Food Prices (1/4 indicators), Food Retail (0/4 indicators), Food Trade and Investment (0/2 indicators) and Platforms and Interaction (1/4 indicators). Conclusions The evidence summarization and the upcoming stakeholders' meeting to rate the level of implementation for each indicator in Italy, have the potential to improve government commitment to shape healthier food environments. Key messages Food environment policies, implemented by the government, play a key role in the health of the population, decreasing the burden of disease. Several food environment policies have been implemented and supported by the Italian government but there are still some priority actions to be taken towards healthier food environments.

Background Organizational aspects in Health Technology Assessment (HTA) reports play a significant role in managing policies and strategies to implement new health technologies. The organizational domain, however, is often under-represented in HTA reports. This study explored how organizational assessment is carried out in HTA reports and designed a new perspective through an empirical approach after the comparison with EUnetHTA's Core Model 3.0. Methods Full HTA reports were extracted from the websites of members of International Network of Agencies for HTA and the aspects relating to the organizational assessment were analysed. HTA reports were classified into 4 typologies of technologies (device, diagnosis/screening, intervention and organizational procedures) and organizational aspects described were explored through a framework of 5 domains and 15 subdomains from Core Model. Specific Multiple Correspondence Analyses were carried out to identify technology-related domains for organizational assessment in reports. Results The analysis showed that domains and subdomains of Core Model were not covered homogeneously by the organizational assessments in the HTA reports. Through Multiple Correspondence Analyses, four new technology-related dimensions were identified and named according to the Core Model’s subdomains in the four new clusters. Conclusions This study analyzed the significance of organizational assessments in current literature and the challenges of improving this domain in HTA reports. Through an empirical analysis, we proposed a new methodology to cover the most relevant aspects of organizational appraisal according to new domains to promote support to the assessment of organizational issues in reports and fulfil the needs of future HTA research.

Multimorbidity requires that many physicians shift the focus of the care they provide towards the management of multiple chronic conditions such as heart diseases, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and mental illness. The aim of this systematic review is to summarize the scientific evidence on the effects of Multidisciplinary Teams (MDT) on chronic patients' management in hospital settings, evaluating outcomes, costs and workload. Medline, Scopus and Ovid were queried for relevant articles using the Population-Intervention-Context-Outcome (PICO) model. Selected articles were assessed for quality and risk of bias using the National Institutes of Health Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and comparison among comorbid patients with at least one mental illness versus those without was performed using Chi-square test (p Out of 7332 records, 7 studies met the inclusion criteria and 85 indicators were identified: 52% improved significantly, 46% did not show any variation and 2% (nausea and delirium) worsened. In particular, in-hospital mortality was significantly reduced in 65% of the studies describing such indicator. The presence of a mental illness showed a statistically significant increase of length of stay (p MDT meetings represent a fundamental step in a complex path care. They are useful to discuss clinical cases to define their diagnosis and to formulate shared treatment plans in order to deliver personalized treatment options and appropriate follow-up. These findings should stimulate decision makers to invest in the development of MDT and further research should be conducted to evaluate team efficacy. Key messages Successful management of chronic diseases can be enhanced by Multidisciplinary Teams. Caregivers can be involved in this relational process to ensure a better path care.

Background Healthcare organizations are social systems in which human resources are generally the most important factor for the provision of care. In these contexts, leadership plays a key role in providing effective and efficient care and results in positive outcomes for professionals, patients and work environment. The aim of this review was to identify and analyze the knowledge present to date in literature concerning the correlation between leadership styles and nurses' job satisfaction. Methods A systematic review of the literature was carried out on Medline and CINAHL databases between June and October 2019 by using a specific search algorithm. The following inclusion criteria were set: focus on the impact of different leadership styles on nurses' job satisfaction; secondary care; nursing setting; full-text available; English or Italian language. Results 6681 titles, 410 abstracts and 57 full texts were analyzed. The 12 selected studies considered 7 leadership styles: Transformational, Transactional, Passive-Avoidant, Laissez-Faire, Resonant, Authentic and Servant. Four studies (33%) considered only 1 style, 3 studies (25%) 2 styles, 4 studies (33%) 3 styles and only one study (9%) considered 4 styles. Transformational and Transactional styles were the most represented (75% and 67% respectively). Most of the studies conducted (88%) showed a significant correlation, both positive and negative, between the adopted Leadership style and the nurses' job satisfaction. Conclusions In a complex and constantly evolving context, healthcare organizations need to guarantee not only technical and professional competence, but also satisfaction as a motivational lever for health workers. It is therefore necessary to identify and fill the gaps in leadership abilities as a present and future objective in order to positively affect health professionals' job satisfaction and therefore healthcare quality indicators. Key messages Job satisfaction plays a key role in healthcare and nursing as a motivational lever for health workers. Leadership styles directly impact on nurses' job satisfaction which in turn affects healthcare quality and patient outcomes.

Background Clinical risk is the probability that a patient is the victim of an adverse event attributable to medical care, albeit unintentionally; clinical risk management is therefore a key area for the quality of healthcare, especially in care-intensive settings; even more for pediatric patients. The objective of this review is to assess the impact of the application of tools and methodologies for clinical risk management in pediatric care-intensive settings. Methods Pubmed and Web of Science were queried to carry out a systematic review, using the PICO methodology to formulate the research strategy and query (June 2019). Application experiences of clinical risk management that had quantitative and qualitative impacts in pediatric intensive care units were included. Results A total of 1178 papers were reviewed and 22 articles were included, most of them from the US (8). Out of the 22 experiences described, 11 were related to reactive management tools, 7 to proactive tools; 4 experiences reported the use of both reactive and proactive tools; 11 articles made explicit a reduction in adverse events following the intervention in the study (29.8%-78.8%, p Conclusions The application of clinical risk management tools made changes in pediatric intensive care units; the integrated use of different methodologies, both proactive and passive, for the management of clinical risk is highlighted in many studies. Key messages Methodologies for clinical risk management can have significant impacts on organizational processes and outcomes of pediatric intensive care units, improving safety of patient and operators. The simultaneous use of several clinical risk management tools, both proactive and reactive, is increasingly widespread.

A Multidisciplinary Tumor Board (MTB) is a group of professionals from different clinical areas that meets to examine oncological patients to face multiple aspects of the pathology. MTBs represent an effective way for clinical decision making and management of complex diseases like cancer that needs an integrated approach. They have the potential to implement patient's care optimizing both evaluation and treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and organizational impact and benefits of MTBs on breast cancer cases. The databases investigated to carry out the research were Pubmed and Web of Science. Only Italian and English articles focused on breast cancer patients evaluated through MTB approach were included. No time restriction was adopted. Articles about other types of cancer were not included; systematic reviews and non-peer reviewed papers such as editorial and commentaries were excluded from the study. The research found 5163 publications; duplicated records were omitted. 5086 articles were excluded through the analysis of title and abstract; after full text reading 52 studies were excluded. Only 25 publications fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Two articles considered the impact of MTB on overall survival; 1 publication studied the effect of diagnostic changes; 7 articles examined the impact of MTBs on cancer treatment; 2 studies analysed the effects on clinical performance. Other publications examined secondary outcomes and indicators. MTB has been described to have a positive impact on breast cancer. It improves overall survival (substantial results for over 65), diagnostic accuracy (up to 65%) and treatment scheme making it more adherent to guidelines (28%-93,1%). Furthermore, MTB makes patient's management more functional and avoids inappropriate interventions. Further studies are needed to deepen on some topics such as the economic aspects and the importance of the participation of general practitioners to MTBs. Key messages MTB could improve patient’s care and clinical management of cancer. It is necessary to study if greater accuracy in patient’s management could have economic impact as it avoids inappropriate procedures.

Background The current economic context calls for rationalizing health resources that can be pursued through disinvestment from low value health technologies to invest in the best performing ones, ensuring high healthcare quality. Oncology is a field where, because of high costs of health technologies and rapid innovation, disinvestment is crucial. Methods On this basis, the research team investigated through a survey, based on a questionnaire, opinions and views of representatives of European countries about disinvestment, in terms of fields of application, potential advocates and barriers, specifically focusing on cancer care. Results A total of 17 questionnaires were filled in (response rate: 32.1%). The survey showed disinvestment is applied in several countries as a tool for containing health care expenditures and identifying obsolete technologies/ineffective interventions. Clinicians' resistance to change and industries' opposition are recognized as the most important barriers to the implementation of disinvestment policies. Potential targets of disinvestment in cancer are seen in diagnostic and therapeutic areas. Conclusion Despite the agreement on fields of waste and of disinvestment policies, operational methods to put disinvestment in place are lacking. Since they should rely on an inclusive assessment of the technology, Health Technology Assessment may represent a good approach.

Background Public reporting (PR) of healthcare (HC) provider's quality was proposed as a public health instrument for providing transparency and accountability in HC. Our aim was to assess the impact of PR on five main domains: quality improvement; patient choice, service utilization and market share; provider's perspective; patient experience; and unintended consequences. Methods PubMed, Scopus, ISI WOS, and EconLit databases were searched to identify studies investigating relationships between PR and five main domains, published up to April 1, 2016. Results Sixty-two papers published between 1988 and 2015 were included. Nineteen studies investigated quality improvement, 19 studies explored the unintended consequences of PR, 10 explored the effects on market share, 10 on patients' choice, 7 evaluated the provider's perspective, 4 economic outcome, 4 service utilization, 2 purchasers' use of PR and 2 studies explored patient experiences. The effect of PR was diverse throughout the studies-mostly positive on: patient experience (100%), quality improvement (63%), patient choice, service utilization and market share (46%); mixed on provider's perspective and economic outcome (27%) and mainly negative on unintended consequences (68%). Conclusions Our research covering different outcomes and settings reported that PR is associated with changes in HC provider's behavior and can influence market share. Unintended consequences are a concern of PR and should be taken into account when allocating HC resources. The experiences collected in this paper could give a snapshot about the impact of PR on a HC user's perception of the providers' quality of care, helping them to make empowered choices.

Patients’ increasing needs and expectations demand for an overall assessment of hospital performances. Several Agencies described sets of performance indicators and there is not a unanimous classification. The ImpactHTA Horizon2020 Project wants to address this aspect, developing a toolkit of key indicators to measure hospital organizational performance. The aim of this review is to identify the dimensions of quality in which hospital performance indicators are grouped, and to assess if there has been an evolution over time of the above-mentioned dimensions. Following the PRISMA statement, PubMed, Ovid and Web of Science databases were queried to perform an umbrella review. Articles focusing on secondary care settings, published January 2000-May 2018 were considered. The study design included was systematic review. 3680 records were screened and 6 systematic reviews ranging 2002-2014 were included. The following dimensions were described in at least 50% of the studies: 6 studies classified efficiency (53 indicators analyzed); 5 studies classified effectiveness (12 indicators), patient centeredness (10 indicators) and safety (8 indicators); 3 studies responsive governance (2 indicators), staff orientation (8 indicators) and timeliness (4 indicators). 3 reviews did not specify the indicators related to the dimensions listed, 1 gave a complete definition of the meaning of each dimension and related indicators. The research shows steady awareness of the importance of patient centeredness, effectiveness, efficiency, and safety dimensions; apparently, there is still not much attention to sustainability, appropriateness and accessibility in terms of indicators measuring, although those dimensions are described in one of the latest review. Another review described a new dimension, resources and capacity, which focuses on the availability of new technologies, underlining the growing importance of the adoption of digitalization in healthcare. Key messages Main dimensions of performance indicators: efficiency, effectiveness, patient centeredness, safety. More emphasis to sustainability and appropriateness to align with today’s healthcare challenges.

Background Healthcare systems are facing great challenges due to increased share of aging population, growing health needs and economic restraints. To keep a high quality of assistance it is important to invest in health technologies (HTs) that have the potential of improving health outcomes. Even though a lot of guidance does exist on how HTs should be introduced, used and dismissed, there is a surprising gap in literature concerning the awareness of hospitals in the actual utilization of HTs, namely utilization in daily practice after formal adoption. Methods We performed a systematic literature review of qualitative and quantitative studies aimed at investigating hospital contextual factors that influence the actual utilization of HTs at hospital level. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Econlit and Ovid were searched to retrieve studies published in English from 1st January 2010 to 31st May 2018. Results A total of 33 studies were included mostly addressing information and communication technologies (ICTs). Findings suggest that contextual factors that impact on actual utilization of HTs at hospital level are ascribable to four main families: financial factors, leadership styles, human resource management and hospital infrastructure. It emerges also that involving professionals at all levels and planning people’s work and competencies are major determinants of HTs actual utilization. Conclusions The evidence suggests that several contextual factors play a major role in HTs actual utilization at hospital level even though data are mostly referred to ICTs being the other HTs unexplored. Indeed, findings from this study suggest that numerous items should be evaluated when considering to use a new HTs at hospital level. Nevertheless, evidence regarding actual utilization of medical and surgical HTs is still lacking and future research is needed. Key messages Financial factors, leadership styles, human resource management, hospital infrastructure are relevant determinants of actual utilization of new HTs at hospital level. The evidence on contextual factors that influence actual utilization of HTs is mostly referred to ICTs and further research is indeed deserved.

Background Public reporting (PR) has been recommended as a useful public health strategy for stimulating improvement of quality and reduce inequalities in healthcare (HC) by adding transparency and addressing accountability in the interaction between HC providers and users. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of scientific literature in order to assess qualitatively and quantitatively the impact of PR on clinical outcomes. …

Issue/problem Decision-making in hospitals is evolving from being opinion-based to being evidence-based. Whilst clinical guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations, evidence-based practice needs to address the local structure, systems and time-frames. Clinical pathways are document-based tools that provide a link between the best available evidence and clinical practice. Problem During a meeting with the professional from all ‘A. Gemelli' teaching hospital units involved in the care of …

Background The persistent infection of the genital tract by a high-risk Human Papillomavirus (HPV) type is the primary cause of cervical cancer, the second most common cancer affecting women aged 15–44 in the European Union (EU). Each year, in the EU there are around 33 000 cases of cervical cancer and 15 000 deaths, in Italy each year new cases are 3500 and deaths 1500. The availability of anti-HPV vaccines, in association with cervical cancer screening programs, is …

Background Schizophrenic disorders represent one of the most common public health issues in psychiatry. An estimated 4 million people in Europe suffer from schizophrenia. The European Burden of Disease Report quotes a point prevalence of 0.25-0.56% for schizophrenia. This disorder has been demonstrated to have important social and economic consequences, so it is necessary to assess its economic burden. The aim of this study was to analyze the costs related to …

Background Immigrant population has different access to health services in comparison to natives. This study is a time series analysis of hospitalization rates of immigrant and Italian populations and is aimed to support health planning and interventions. Methods An ecological study was performed from 2001 to 2008. Hospitalization rates for myocardial infarction, stroke, chronic hepatitis/cirrhosis, cervical cancer and mastectomy were chosen as a proxy of lifestyles and access to primary health care. Hospitalizations were requested to …

Background The health status of a population closely depends also on the presence of socially disadvantaged groups, such as immigrants. The aim of this study is to analyze the access to health services of Italian and immigrant people living in Italy, with particular attention to the hospitalizations for two groups of diseases with similar risk factors: heart attack and stroke, chronic liver disease and liver cancer. Methods The data source on …

Background Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) is a common cause of Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) and Invasive Pneunmococcal Diseases (IPD) and an important cause of health care costs. The purpose of this cost-of-illness analysis (COI) is to estimate the economic burden of diseases caused by Spn among people ≥50 years old in Italy. Methods This analysis was performed from the Italian National Health Service perspective. Only direct medical costs related to outpatient and inpatient care were …

The study suggests that care pathways in diabetes care are relatively widely used and consistently defined in terms professional skill-mix in Finland. In the diabetes care the nurses are in the key position for inpatient and after discharge management. Key message Due to the influential national initiatives diabetes care applies widely predefined care pathways in Finland. However, the patients’ involvement in their treatment should strengthen.