Irccs Maugeri Pavia, a library for the oncology clinic

“Those who go to waiting rooms in clinics and hospitals know what we are talking about. It is life time, not wasted time. And sometimes a book, something to share with others, can help.” These are the words of one of the patients of the Irccs Maugeri Pavia Oncology Unit, one of the promoters of the library with over 350 volumes available to those who wait and to those who do therapy, inaugurated in the waiting room for chemotherapy. The input came from the patients, as well as the organization in support of the hospital that made itself available: “The waiting room had been renovated a few months ago – explains Giuseppe Laganga, director of Irccs Pavia – we have tried to make it more welcoming and brighter and this library is part of that process of humanization and improvement of the perceived quality of care which is one of the objectives that the Institute has set itself in the last period. And as always, the role of of patients and associations that help us in what must be considered to all intents and purposes part of the treatment “. Sixty people a day pass through this oncology waiting room, which includes the unit directed by Antonio Bernardo and the translational unit directed by Deborah Locati , who manage the complex Mac-outpatient macroactivity with visits and therapies for about 500 patients. And just one of them, a very active figure in associations in Pavia, conversing with other people like her who refer to the clinic, thought that the possibility of reading while waiting, perhaps commenting on the same book, would be a way to make the experience is more enjoyable. Immediately after finding the feedback from the Institute and the primary schools, associations, organizations and libraries were involved, not only in Pavia, collecting over 350 volumes in a few days, from fiction, to comics, to fairy tales. I am Antigone Pavia, University Library, Abbracci d’amore Association (in collaboration with Corriere della Sera and Sellerio Publishing House), Homer Association and Free Library of the Scala-Mirabello district, as well as many citizens who have joined personally, also leaving personal dedications at the beginning of the books as a sign of closeness. “When the promoter called us – says Simone Caiello of the Omero Association – we activated immediately, because it is part of our DNA. Homer was born precisely in memory of a person suffering from cancer and who unfortunately did not make it. But from a dramatic event we wanted to find something positive and this bookcase is an initiative that represents us. We are happy to have participated, the care goes through even these little things “. The volumes have been placed in a large bookcase, in the waiting area of the outpatient clinic, which is located on the ground floor of the Pavia Institute, and will be self-managed by the patients themselves, however called to observe some indications collected in a specific regulation. “In the waiting times that inevitably exist, this initiative fits very well – commented Antonio Bernardo, head of the Oncology Division Irccs Maugeri – It is also a way for the patient to escape, it is a period of life used in an optimal way. trying to give importance to aspects that were once considered secondary, from diet to sports, from rehabilitation to psychological support which are activities that improve the quality of life of our patients which cannot be just thinking about the disease, doing chemotherapy and go home “.