Network Regioni ‘promotes’ NHS during the pandemic, only 23% dissatisfied citizens

Evaluate the performance of regional health systems even in a year like 2020 when, for the first time, they were overwhelmed by the tsunami of the Covid-19 pandemic. This was the challenge accepted by the “Network of Regions”, in collaboration with the Management and Health Laboratory of the Institute of Management of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa, which today counts on the adhesion of 10 Regions and two autonomous Provinces. . And the results overall ‘reward’ the National Health Service, with only 23% of users declaring themselves dissatisfied. The most significant data were illustrated today by the research team of the Sant’Anna High School, coordinated by Professor Milena Vainieri and Dr. Federico Vola, during the online seminar, organized by the MeS Management and Health Laboratory of the Institute of Management of the Higher School Sant’Anna, which was also attended by Dr. Domenico Mantoan, general director of Agenas and Sabina Nuti, director of the Sant’Anna High School. The work carried out by the ‘Network’ which includes on a voluntary basis Basilicata, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Liguria, Marche, Puglia, Tuscany, Umbria, Veneto, Lombardy and Piedmont and the autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano, allows to provide each Region a summary of the results achieved, compared with those of the others. The method with which the performance was measured takes into account the pandemic and includes, for this edition, many indicators that measure the capacity of resilience, that is to say resilience and response to the emergency. The objective of the data is to identify and enhance health systems that have shown greater resilience capacity and, at the same time, identify the areas with respect to which there has been a drop in supply during 2020. These areas must in fact be given priority in planning the relaunch of the system, in order to respond in proactive way to those needs of citizens, which have been neglected during the main phases of the resurgence of the pandemic. “Once again the Regions that join the Network have shown great political maturity in their choice not to skip the evaluation appointment – comments Sabina Nuti – attentive to the problems that emerged in 2020 but also aware that the Italian health system, precisely in the months of the Covid-19 pandemic, has given its all and it is thanks to the tireless work of health professionals many lives have been saved. Numbers are the basis of a healthy process of comparison and learning and improvement, never exhaustive but certainly capable of indicating how to direct action ”. The “Network of Regions” therefore responded to the challenge of analyzing its performance in 2020, redesigning and integrating the tool it had developed over the years to evaluate its results. It also investigated the assessment of the appreciation of health services during the Covid-19 pandemic by the Italian population, through a survey that involved more than 12 thousand respondents. Overall, more than 70 new indicators have joined the 350 (for a total of 420) that, in previous years, made up the evaluation system, precisely to monitor regional trends with respect to the provision of health services. The good work done by the National Health Service (SSN) in managing the pandemic is, on the whole, recognized by citizens. It is only 23 percent of the population who declare themselves unsatisfied with the assistance received, with significant differences found between the Regions, ranging from 37% in Basilicata to 12.6% in Veneto, up to 9.7% in the Autonomous Province of Trento. These are important data, which return a photograph with even clearer contours. Those who participated in the questionnaire and had contact with Covid-19 are, on average, more satisfied with the assistance received from the NHS than those who have not had contact with the virus. The data shows how those who have been taken care of by the health system tend to recognize and evaluate their work in a more positive way. Measuring the response capacity of our healthcare system to the pandemic shock also means monitoring to what extent it has been able to guarantee the provision of services that cannot be postponed, that is, those services that cannot be deferred to subsequent months. As previous analyzes, carried out by the same “Network of Regions” have already shown, the drops for many performances are significant but the wide variability between the Regions allows us to appreciate how the specific organizational choices have translated into different performances, in terms of resilience From vaccinations to outpatient services, from cancer screening to hospital admissions: the holding of volumes delivered in 2020, compared to those of 2019, has come under the magnifying glass of the “Network of Regions”. Some examples. The volumes referring to breast cancer surgeries (priority class A) show a decrease of more than 20% for Liguria, Piedmont, Basilicata and Trento but substantial stability or indeed a slight increase compared to 2019 in Friuli Venezia Giulia, in the Marche region and in Bolzano; the number of home accesses (Adi / Adp) decreases compared to 2019 by 18 and 16% respectively in Puglia and Tuscany, but less than 3% in Friuli Venezia Giulia and Trento. The number of cardiac check-ups fell by more than 40% in Bolzano, Basilicata and Umbria, while it stood at 20% in Tuscany, Trento and Veneto (-18%). With reference to some services, there is a substantial stability of the regional health systems; in reference to pediatric vaccinations, for example, the drops are decidedly contained. Almost everywhere, influenza vaccinations for people over the age of 65 are increasing, reflecting a greater propensity on the part of the population and attention on the part of health facilities. In addition to the more traditional performance evaluation indicators, new and current areas of analysis have also found space, closely linked to the compliance of regional health systems with the new challenges posed by the pandemic. Among these, the online accessibility of information on anti-Covid-19 vaccination, which evaluates the ability of health companies to convey the precious information relating to the vaccination campaign against Covid-19 through their websites.