title: Diagnostic, therapeutic and health-care management protocol in thyroid surgery: a position statement of the Italian Association of Endocrine Surgery Units (U.E.C. CLUB).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The diagnostic, therapeutic and health-care management protocol (Protocollo Gestionale Diagnostico-Terapeutico-Assistenziale, PDTA) by the Association of the Italian Endocrine Surgery Units (U.E.C. CLUB) aims to help treat the patient in a topical, rational way that can be shared by health-care professionals.
  
  
  METHODS
  This fourth consensus conference involved: a selected group of experts in the preliminary phase; all members, via e-mail, in the elaboration phase; all the participants of the XI National Congress of the U.E.C. CLUB held in Naples in the final phase. The following were examined: diagnostic pathway and clinical evaluation; mode of admission and waiting time; therapeutic pathway (patient preparation for surgery, surgical treatment, postoperative management, management of major complications); hospital discharge and patient information; outpatient care and follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A clear and concise style was adopted to illustrate the reasons and scientific rationales behind behaviors and to provide health-care professionals with a guide as complete as possible on who, when, how and why to act. The protocol is meant to help the surgeon to treat the patient in a topical, rational way that can be shared by health-care professionals, but without influencing in any way the physician-patient relationship, which is based on trust and clinical judgment in each individual case.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The PDTA in thyroid surgery approved by the fourth consensus conference (June 2015) is the official PDTA of U.E.C. CLUB.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, ASL TO4, Ivrea Hospital, School of Medicine, Turin University, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rosato
authors.affiliation: Endocrine and Metabolic Surgery, Policlinico Agostino Gemelli, Catholic University, Rome, Italy. carmela.decrea@unicatt.it.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Crea
authors.affiliation: Endocrine and Metabolic Surgery, Policlinico Agostino Gemelli, Catholic University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bellantone
authors.affiliation: Clinical Unit on Metabolic Bone Disorders, University Hospital of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Brandi
authors.affiliation: Endocrine Surgery, Department of Surgery "P. Valdoni", "La Sapienza" University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Toma
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, "La Sapienza" University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Filetti
authors.affiliation: Endocrine Surgery, Department of Surgery, Pisa University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Miccoli
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neurosciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pacini
authors.affiliation: Endocrine Surgery, Department of Surgery, Padua University, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Pelizzo
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Catholic University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pontecorvi
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, "S. Maria" Terni Hospital, Perugia University, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Avenia
authors.affiliation: Endocrine and Breast Surgical Unit, Department of Surgery, "S. Paolo" Hospital, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: De Pasquale
authors.affiliation: Thyroid Surgery, Department of Surgery, I.N.T. "Pascale" of Naples, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Chiofalo
authors.affiliation: Unit of Endocrine, Digestive, and Emergency Surgery, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, Bari University, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gurrado
authors.affiliation: Endocrine Surgery, Department of Surgery, "Mater Domini" Hospital, Catanzaro, Italy.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Innaro
authors.affiliation: Health Management, Piedmont Region, ASL TO4, School of Medicine, Turin University, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: La Valle
authors.affiliation: Endocrine and Metabolic Surgery, Policlinico Agostino Gemelli, Catholic University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Lombardi
authors.affiliation: Endocrine Surgery, Department of Surgery, "S. Camillo-Forlanini" Hospital, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Marini
authors.affiliation: General Surgery, Endocrine and Breast Surgical Unit, Department of Surgery, ASL TO4, Ivrea Hospital, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mondini
authors.affiliation: General Surgery and Endocrine Surgical Unit, Department of Surgery, Sant'Agostino-Estense NOCSAE, Modena, Italy.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mullineris
authors.affiliation: Thyroid Surgery, Department of Surgery, I.N.T. "Pascale" of Naples, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pezzullo
authors.affiliation: Endocrine and Metabolic Surgery, Policlinico Agostino Gemelli, Catholic University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raffaelli
authors.affiliation: Unit of Endocrine, Digestive, and Emergency Surgery, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, Bari University, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Testini
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, A.O.R.N. "Cardarelli" Hospital, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Palma
mesh_terms: D032921:Consensus; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000592:standards*; D061665:Time-to-Treatment / Q000592:standards*
keywords: Postoperative management; Preoperative workup; Thyroid disease; Thyroidectomy