Alla ricerca della sicurezza e della qualità: il modello di miglioramento dell'Oncologia Medica nel Policlinico Universitario di Palermo

[In search of safety and quality: the improvement model proposed by the Oncology Department of the Palermo University] Over the past 20 years the field of oncology has product therapeutic innovations that have radically changed the prognosis of the most prevalent malignancies, since introduction of so-called targeted molecular agents. As a result of these changes, also the management of cancer patients has become more complex requiring technologies and skills that involve many professionals (medical oncologists, biologists, molecular geneticists, surgeons, pathologists, radiologists, nurses and psychologists), each engaged in a different stage of the disease, with the common goal of ensuring the patient the best treatment available today.So as well as have the chemotherapy changed, have also changed the needs of patients during the execution of the chemotherapeutic program. These changes have affected several areas of therapeutic sphere and in particular the aspect of safety during prescription, preparation, distribution and administration of chemotherapy, and the psychological aspect of the cancer disease, which focused on the acceptance of the disease by using tools such as music, sports, painting and initiatives for the care of the physical appearance (make-up). Not only. The patient wants to be treated today with the guarantee that the proposed protocols are adhering to the most authoritative international guidelines and that staff are highly qualified in the management of all stages of the disease and possible toxicity observed during treatment.Here’s the experience of the Oncology Unit of the University Hospital of Palermo that proposes itself as a leader of a movement to improve the quality of care to offer today to cancer patients in Italy. * Altri coautori: Giuseppe Badalamenti 1, Giuseppe Cicero 1, Fabio Fulfaro 1, Gaetana Rinaldi 1, Sergio Rizzo 1, Antonio Galvano 1, Francesca Lo Vullo 1, Andrea Pasquale 2, Erminia Taormina 2, Dario Piazza 1, Rossella De Luca