BackgroundIntermediate care (IC) services are a key component of integrated care for elderly people, providing a link between hospital and home through provision of rehabilitation and health and social care. The Patient Reported Experience Measures (PREMs) are designed to measure user experience of care in IC settings.ObjectiveTo examine the feasibility and the scaling properties of the Italian version of PREMs questionnaires for use in IC services.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted on consecutive users of 1 home-based and 4 bed-based IC services in Emilia-Romagna (Italy). The main outcome measure was the PREMs questionnaire results. PREMs for each home- and bed-based IC services were translated, back-translated, and adapted through consensus among the members of the advisory board and pilot testing of face validity in 15 patients. A total of 199 questionnaires were returned from users of bed-based services and 185 were returned by mail from users of home-based services. The return rates and responses were examined. Mokken analysis was used to examine the scaling properties of the PREMs.ResultsAnalysis performed on the bed-based PREMs (N=154) revealed that 13 items measured the same construct and formed a moderate-strength scale (Loevinger H=0.488) with good reliability (Cronbach’s alpha =0.843). Analysis of home-based PREMs (N=134 records) revealed that 15 items constituted a strong scale (Loevinger H=0.543) with good reliability (Cronbach’s alpha =0.875).ConclusionThe Italian versions of the bed- and home-based IC-PREMs questionnaires proved to be valid and reliable tools to assess patients’ experience of care. Future plans include monitoring user experience over time in the same facilities and in other Italian IC settings for between-service benchmarking.

A positive association between hospital volume and survival was evident for long-term outcome after adjusting for patient and tumor confounding. Moreover, the patient's choice of hospital was not guided by specific care pathways or screening programs, and prognosis was not poorer for patients in high-volume hospitals. These findings suggest that there is leeway for improving access to surgery for gastric cancer patients.

Sustainable investments are increasingly leaving their niche position to enter financial markets in a remarkable way in recent years. In this scenario, ESG (Enviromental, Social, Governance) practices are emerging alongside the risk-return approaches that for years have exclusively determined the portfolio choices of investors. This paper aims to give a contribution to the flourishing debate on the application of ESG criteria to investments’ selection, using a case study through a benchmarking approach. The empirical investigation focuses on a two-level analysis of GIS Global Bond ESG Fund (EUR Hedged), managed by PIMCO management company. Results highlight that ESG practises should be referred more as a complementary rather than alternative approach for portfolio management.

Issue Fragility is a major challenge that demand a comprehensive public health response, since a high rate of population is aging and becoming vulnerable. Description of the Problem The Local Health Authority of Bologna, about 850,000 inhabitants, has implemented a new qualitative and quantitative Project on fragile patients. Frailty was measured by the “Risk Profile of the Emilia-Romagna region,”, an algorithm that provides a risk index, based on patients'record, which divide population in risk categories (high/very high, moderate and low risk) of hospitalization. The 585 General Practitioners (GPs) have enrolled their fragile patients with high and very high risk (about 6% of the population). GPs and other healthcare professionals are asked to define an Individualized Care Plan (ICP) according to an integrated and multi-professional management perspective. Patients' and healthcare professionals' subjective experience was collected throughout a structured interview. Results From October 2018 to April 2019, 260 patients were included in the project and they received a ICP which included different interventions such as: integrated nursing care (105), nursing care in chronic ambulatory (55), community hospital care (9), social assistance (92), physiotherapy (88), specialist activities (114). Qualitative data highlighted high level of satisfaction both in patients and clinicians. The strengths of the Project are: 1) an integrated management (with a multi- professional team) of frailty population, 2) proactive and individualized treatment plan. Limitations are: 1) different approaches among clinicians in the Local Health Authority of Bologna with possible inequalities of accessibility to the treatment; 2) difficulties in the relationships among clinicians. The early recognition and the specialistic management of the fragile population have to be considered a priority in health practice in order to provide effective medical intervention. Key messages Individualized Care Plan (ICP) and integrated and multi-professional management. Importance of fragility early recognition.