Effectiveness of the Comirnaty and the Vaxzevria vaccines in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection among residents in Lazio region (Italy).

We estimated the effectiveness of Comirnaty and Vaxzevria vaccines among 371,423 residents in Lazio Region (Italy) vaccinated since 27/12/2020, and followed until diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection or 25/4/2021, whichever came first. By the end of follow-up most of the Comirnaty-cohort (60%) had received the second dose at recommended time of 21 days (98%), while the Vaxzevria-cohort had received only one dose. Adjusted hazard ratios of SARS-CoV-2 infection at weekly intervals since the first dose were estimated through a Cox regression model using 0-13 days as reference time-interval. An increase in effectiveness with increasing time since administration was observed for Comirnaty (five-weeks = 81%, 95 %CI 71-88%; three-months = 94%, 95 %CI 84-98%). One dose of Vaxzevria showed an effectiveness of 63% (95 %CI 25-82%) after 7 weeks, although further analyses are needed after complete vaccination with two doses. These results could support the ongoing vaccination campaign by reinforcing evidence-based communication aimed at reducing vaccine hesitancy.

The Regina Elena National Cancer Institute process of accreditation according to the standards of the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes.

The accreditation process is, on the one hand, a tool used to homogenize procedures, rendering comparable and standardized processes of care, and on the other, a methodology employed to develop a culture of quality improvement. Although not yet proven by evidence-based studies that health outcomes improve as a result of an accreditation to excellence, it is undeniable that better control of healthcare processes results in better quality and safety of diagnostic and therapeutic pathways. The Regina Elena National Cancer Institute underwent the accreditation process in accordance with the standards criteria set by the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI), and it has recently completed the process, acquiring its designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC). This was an invaluable opportunity for the Regina Elena Institute to create a more cohesive environment, to widely establish a culture of quality, to implement an institutional information system, and to accelerate the process of patient involvement in strategic decisions. The steps of the process allowed us to evaluate the performance and the organization of the institute and put amendments in place designed to be adopted through 26 improvement actions. These actions regarded several aspects of the institute, including quality culture, information communication technology system, care, clinical trials unit, disease management team, nursing, and patient empowerment and involvement. Each area has a timeline. We chose to present the following 3 improvement actions: clinical trial center, computerized ambulatory medical record, and centrality of patient and humanization of clinical pathway.

[The Day Service as a tool to reduce inappropriateness of care: the experience of a research hospital in Rome (Italy)]. / Il day service come strumento di riduzione dell'inappropriatezza: risultati dell'esperienza in un Irccs romano.

The Day Service was established in Italy to promote appropriateness of care and consists in the delivery of packages of complex outpatient services. A Working Group for the continuous improvement of pre-hospitalization activities of the Regina Elena Scientific Institute in Rome, Italy, established that the outpatient management of surgical patients in the hospital would occur in a Day Service, through a package of services identified at the regional level or appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic pathways. This article describes the experience of the hospital's Day Service and compares results from the last four months of 2013 with those of the first four months of 2014. The introduction of a Day Service has led to a reduction in the number of inappropriate pre-admission tests (mainly computerized tomography, magnetic resonance and Positron emission scans and scintigraphy) and this has had a positive impact not only in terms of organization, reduction of hospital stay and overall hospitalization-related activities, but also from an economic standpoint. The implementation of a Day Service has also improved the overall patient experience, from an organizational point of view, and this is an important aspect, considering that patients at the Regina Elena Scientific Institute are oncological patients, they are often elderly and most reside in other Italian regions.