Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Clinical Pathways for Non-SARS-CoV-2 Related Diseases in the Lazio Region, Italy

Maria Piane, Lavinia Bianco, Rita Mancini, Paolo Fornelli, Angela Gabriele, Francesco Medici, Claudia Battista, Stefania Greco, Giuseppe Croce, Laura Franceschetti, Christian Napoli, Mario Ronchetti, Paolo Anibaldi and Giorgio Banchieri
Additional contact information
Maria Piane: Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161 Rome, Italy
Lavinia Bianco: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Rita Mancini: Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161 Rome, Italy
Paolo Fornelli: ASIQUAS (Associazione Italiana per la Qualità della Assistenza Sanitaria e Sociale), Largo Konrad Adenauer 1/B, 00144 Rome, Italy
Angela Gabriele: Azienda Sanitaria Locale (ASL) Frosinone District C and D, Via De Bosis-03043 Cassino, Via Piemonte, 03039 Sora, Italy
Francesco Medici: San Camillo-Forlanini Hospital, Circonvallazione Gianicolense, 87, 00149 Rome, Italy
Claudia Battista: Azienda Sanitaria Locale (ASL) RM 6 District of Mental Health and Pathological Addictions, Via Borgo Garibaldi 12, 00041 Albano Laziale, Italy
Stefania Greco: San Camillo-Forlanini Hospital, Circonvallazione Gianicolense, 87, 00149 Rome, Italy
Giuseppe Croce: Internal Medicine Unit-“G. Mazzini” Hospital-ASL 4 Teramo-Piazza Italia 1, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Laura Franceschetti: Department of Social Sciences and Economics, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Via Salaria 113, 00198 Rome, Italy
Christian Napoli: Sant’Andrea University Hospital, Via di Grottarossa 1035-1039, 00189 Rome, Italy
Mario Ronchetti: ASIQUAS (Associazione Italiana per la Qualità della Assistenza Sanitaria e Sociale), Largo Konrad Adenauer 1/B, 00144 Rome, Italy
Paolo Anibaldi: Sant’Andrea University Hospital, Via di Grottarossa 1035-1039, 00189 Rome, Italy
Giorgio Banchieri: ASIQUAS (Associazione Italiana per la Qualità della Assistenza Sanitaria e Sociale), Largo Konrad Adenauer 1/B, 00144 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 2, 1-16

Abstract: Clinical pathways (CPs) are multidisciplinary clinical governance tools necessary for the care management of the patients, whose aim is to outline the best practicable path within a health organization related to an illness or to a complex clinical situation. The COVID-19 pandemic emergency has created the need for an organizational renewal of care pathways based on the principles of “primary health care” recommended by the WHO. In Italy, the Hospitals and Local Health Authorities (ASL) have tried to guarantee the continuity of non-deferrable treatments and the maximum safety of both patients and health professionals. This study analyzes the organizational and managerial responses adopted in pathology-specific care pathways to assess how CPs as diagnostic tools responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in the first two waves. Twenty-four referents of Operational Units (UU OO) from Hospitals (AO) and Local Health Authorities (ASL) of the Lazio Region (Central Italy) that apply four different CPs responded to a survey, which analyzes the managerial and organizational responses of CPs in regard to different contexts. Results show that the structural and organizational adjustments of the CPs have made it possible to maintain an adequate level of care for specific treatment processes, with some common critical aspects that require improvement actions. The adjustments found could be useful for dealing with new outbreaks and/or new epidemics in order to try to mitigate the potential negative impact, especially on the most vulnerable patient categories.

Keywords: clinical pathway (CP); SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; primary health care; health care system (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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