Confronto fra due modalità di valutazione dell’appropriatezza dei ricoveri disposti dal pronto soccorso di un ospedale pediatrico

[Comparing two different techniques to assess the appropriateness of admissions provided in the emergency room of a pediatric hospital].

Two different techniques aimed to assess the appropriateness of hospital utilisation were used to study the same sample of clinical records of admissions provided during 2001 by the emergency room of a pediatric sicilian hospital. The first technique estimated the '"high risk of inappropriateness" DRGs prevalence, according to the Decreto del Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri of 29 Novembre 2001, and the second was the pediatric version of the Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol (AEP), based on clinical characteristics of patients and complexity of assistance provided. The comparison of results did not show any agreement between the two techniques (kappa= 0,031, C. I. 95%: from -0,001 t…

Autism spectrum disorder in Italy: demand for an integrated epidemiological surveillance system.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental syndrome of emerging public health concern, according to a documented significant increase of diagnosed cases of ASD in Europe and USA. In Italy, actually, it is not possible to estimate at national level a reliable ASD occurrence by using existing health and scholastic data flows. The lack of information has implications on social and healthcare services dedicated to subjects affected by ADS. The database of the Italian institute in charge of social and security assistance was accessed at the provincial level to investigate the ASD cases occurred in the Palermo province. The official reports of all subjects visited in 2013 by I…