The North West Tuscany Local Health Authority has obtained ad hoc funding from the Tuscany Region to be allocated to the diagnostic therapeutic path for the management of the patient with headache.
“It is estimated that at a regional level there are over 300 thousand people who suffer from headaches,” he says Renato Galli, director of the cerebro-cardiovascular pathologies area of the ASL Tuscany North West. Galli, assisted by Alessandro Napolitano, director of neurology at the Apuane hospital, is also the scientific director of the North West Tuscany Local Health Authority for the drafting of the diagnostic therapeutic care path (PDTA) for patients with headache.
“The management model includes three levels of intervention – explains Galli – the first is that of the general practitioner, to whom the patient with headache turns for an immediate evaluation; the doctor will be able to decide whether the patient needs inpatient or outpatient neurological consultation. Furthermore, both the family doctor and the specialist can propose taking care of the patient in one of the headache clinics which are present in all the neurology centers of the local health authority (Massa, Versilia, Pontedera, Lucca, Livorno). Finally, where deemed necessary, due to the particular complexity of the clinical picture or the need to resort to particular therapeutic approaches, the patient may be referred to the Headache Center of the Pisa university hospital, which represents the hub center of the Northern Vast Area west”.
“Until now, in the neurology structures of Massa, Versilia, Pontedera, Lucca and Livorno, treatment for this type of pathology has been carried out with internal resources – continues Galli – through the use of professionals engaged in other activities in the clinics provided by the Neurology structure. With the greater resources obtained, we instead want to recruit staff dedicated exclusively to the clinics that take care of patients with headache. Headache, in fact, is a widespread pathology and contributes substantially to waiting lists for first neurological visits. Our goal is to increase the management of patients with headache by 10 percent compared to previous years and to improve adherence to drug therapy, which has recently been enhanced with particularly effective albeit high-cost molecules, which can be dispensed exclusively in outpatient clinics. of the ASL”.
“Despite the ambition of the project, the difficulty in recruiting new doctors, including neurologists cannot be hidden – concludes Galli – in fact of the three calls for tenders already published only one has been assigned to a professional who will divide his activity between the clinics in Lucca and Versilia. In June the company will republish the two unsuccessful notices and if necessary will allow neurologist medical managers already structured in the Neurology operating units to increase the offer of headache visits in additional activity”.
