title: [The Day Service as a tool to reduce inappropriateness of care: the experience of a research hospital in Rome (Italy)].
abstract: The Day Service was established in Italy to promote appropriateness of care and consists in the delivery of packages of complex outpatient services. A Working Group for the continuous improvement of pre-hospitalization activities of the Regina Elena Scientific Institute in Rome, Italy, established that the outpatient management of surgical patients in the hospital would occur in a Day Service, through a package of services identified at the regional level or appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic pathways. This article describes the experience of the hospital's Day Service and compares results from the last four months of 2013 with those of the first four months of 2014. The introduction of a Day Service has led to a reduction in the number of inappropriate pre-admission tests (mainly computerized tomography, magnetic resonance and Positron emission scans and scintigraphy) and this has had a positive impact not only in terms of organization, reduction of hospital stay and overall hospitalization-related activities, but also from an economic standpoint. The implementation of a Day Service has also improved the overall patient experience, from an organizational point of view, and this is an important aspect, considering that patients at the Regina Elena Scientific Institute are oncological patients, they are often elderly and most reside in other Italian regions.
authors: Istituto di Sanità Pubblica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Roma, Italia.
authors: Chiara
authors: C
authors: Cadeddu
authors: Istituto di Sanità Pubblica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Roma, Italia.
authors: Maria Lucia
authors: ML
authors: Specchia
authors: Anestesiologia - Servizio di Pre-Ospedalizzazione, Istituto Regina Elena, Roma, Italia.
authors: Francesca
authors: F
authors: Principi
authors: Direzione Sanitaria di Presidio, Istituto Regina Elena, Roma, Italia.
authors: Raffaele
authors: R
authors: Marchini
authors: Direzione Sanitaria Aziendale, Istituto Regina Elena, Roma, Italia.
authors: Marina
authors: M
authors: Cerimele
authors: Istituto di Sanità Pubblica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Roma, Italia.
authors: Walter
authors: W
authors: Ricciardi
authors: Direzione Sanitaria di Presidio, Istituto Regina Elena, Roma, Italia.
authors: Costanza
authors: C
authors: Cavuto
mesh_terms: D003631:Day Care, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006300:Health Services Misuse / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006760:Hospitalization; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D011996:Records; D012384:Rome