A nationwide participatory programme to measure person-centred hospital care in Italy: Results and implications for continuous improvement.

BACKGROUND: Patient-centredness has been targeted by the Italian government as a key theme for the future development of health services. OBJECTIVE: Measuring patient-centred health services in partnership with citizens, health professionals and decision makers. DESIGN: National participatory survey in a large test set of hospitals at national level. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A total of 387 hospital visits conducted in 16 Italian regions by over 1,500 citizens and health professionals during 2017-2018. MAIN VARIABLES AND OUTCOME MEASURES: An ad hoc checklist was used to assess person-centredness in hospital care through 243 items, grouped in 4 main areas, 12 sub-areas and 29 person-centred criteria (scored 0-10). GEE linear multivariate regression was used to explore the relation between hospital characteristics and person-centredness. RESULTS: Person-centred scores were moderately high, with substantial variation overall (median score: 7.0, range: 3.2-9.5) and by area (Care Processes: 6.8, 2.0-9.8; Access: 7.4, 2.7-9.7; Transparency: 6.7, 3.4-9.5 and Relationship: 7.3, 0.8-10.0). Multivariate regression found higher scores for increasing volumes of activity (quartile increase: +0.21; 95% CI: 0.13, 0.29) and lower scores in the south and islands (-1.03; -1.62,-0.45). DISCUSSION: The checklist has been applied successfully by over 1,500 collaborators who assessed hospitals in 16 distinct Regions and Autonomous Provinces of Italy. Despite an overall positive mark, all scores were highly variable by location and hospital characteristics. CONCLUSION AND PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: A national participatory programme to improve patient-centredness in Italian hospitals highlighted critical areas with the direct input of citizens.

The Italian institutional accreditation model for Haemophilia Centres.

BACKGROUND: In Italy, basic health needs of patients with inherited bleeding disorders are met by a network of 50 haemophilia centres belonging to the Italian Association of Haemophilia Centres. Further emerging needs, due to the increased life expectancy of this patient group, require a multi-professional clinical management of the disease and provide a challenge to the organisation of centres.In order to achieve harmonised quality standards of haemophilia care across Italian Regions, an institutional accreditation model for haemophilia centres has been developed. MATERIAL AND METHODS: To develop an accreditation scheme for haemophilia centres, a panel of experts representing medical and patient bodies, the Ministry of Health and Regional Health Authorities has been appointed by the National Blood Centre. Following a public consultation, a technical proposal in the form of recommendations for Regional Health Authorities has been formally submitted to the Ministry of Health and has formed the basis for a proposal of Agreement between the Government and the Regions. RESULTS: The institutional accreditation model for Haemophilia Centres was approved as an Agreement between the Government and the Regions in March 2013. It identified 23 organisational requirements for haemophilia centres covering different areas and activities. DISCUSSION: The Italian institutional accreditation model aims to achieve harmonised quality standards across Regions and to implement continuous improvement efforts, certified by regional inspection systems. The identified requirements are considered as necessary and appropriate in order to provide haemophilia services as "basic healthcare levels" under the umbrella of the National Health Service. This model provides Regions with a flexible institutional accreditation scheme that can be potentially extended to other rare diseases.