title: [Quality of care at a regional emergency medical system].
abstract: The Emergency Medical System (EMS) in the district of Florence is based upon the activity of 13 Emergency Mobile Unit (EMU). The activity of such a huge system is difficult to evaluate: we have concentrated our attention upon the diagnostic process assuming that "correct diagnosis = correct treatment = benefit for the patient". Then we compared diagnoses set on EMU to diagnoses made in hospitals, giving to each comparison a score from 1 to 5. In terms of quality the services of the EMS in Florence seem to be effective, since in 72% of cases the Hospital Emergency Department has confirmed the diagnoses achieved under emergency conditions, and in 12% only there has been remarkable difference. Comparing the diagnoses made on EMU to that at the hospital discharge, in two thirds of cases there is excellent correlation.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Anestesiologia e Rianimazione, Università degli Studi di Firenze.
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Cellai
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cetica
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Melani
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Signorini
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Novelli
mesh_terms: D000552:Ambulances / Q000592:standards*; D003933:Diagnosis; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care
vernacular_title: Qualità dell'assistenza in un sistema di emergenza medica territoriale.