0000000000681722
AUTHOR
Giovanni Di Matteo
White Paper of Italian Gastroenterology: Delivery of services for digestive diseases in Italy: Weaknesses and strengths
In 2011 the three major Italian gastroenterological scientific societies (AIGO, the Italian Society of Hospital Gastroenterologists and Endoscopists; SIED, the Italian Society of Endoscopy; SIGE, the Italian Society of Gastroenterology) prepared their official document aimed at analysing medical care for digestive diseases in Italy, on the basis of national and regional data (Health Ministry and Lombardia, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna databases) and to make proposals for planning of care. Digestive diseases were the first or second cause of hospitalizations in Italy in 1999–2009, with more than 1,500,000 admissions/year; however only 5–9% of these admissions was in specialized Gastroenterology un…
Appropriateness of upper-GI endoscopy: an Italian survey on behalf of the Italian Society of Digestive Endoscopy
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Open-access endoscopy allows physicians to directly schedule endoscopic procedures for their patients without prior consultation. An evaluation of both appropriateness and diagnostic yield of endoscopic procedures is critical when assessing the costs and benefits of endoscopy in an open-access setting. The aim of this Italian multicenter study was to assess the appropriate use of upper endoscopy (EGD) in an open-access system and to establish the yield of diagnostic information relevant to patient care. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional, prospective, multicenter study. PATIENTS: A total of 6270 patients referred to 44 Italian centers for open-access EGD during 1 …
Training with a computer-based simulator achieves basic manual skills required for upper endoscopy: A randomized controlled trial
Changes in medical practice have constrained the time available for education and the availability of patients for training. Computer-based simulators have been devised that can be used to achieve manual skills without patient contact. This study prospectively compared, in a clinical setting, the efficacy of a computer-based simulator for training in upper endoscopy.Twenty-two fellows with no experience in endoscopy were randomly assigned to two groups: one group underwent 10 hours of preclinical training with a computer-based simulator, and the other did not. Each trainee performed upper endoscopy in 19 or 20 patients. Performance parameters evaluated included the following: esophageal int…