FISH – With the transfer to the former “Filanda” the functional reorganization of Diabetology in the Valdinievole area grows in medical, nursing and podiatry services, develops televisits and establishes teleconsultations and dedicates a clinic to new therapeutic technologies.
“We can affirm that diabetology in the Pistoia area is increasingly expanding in the Valdinievole area” – comments the director of the two structures (San Jacopo and SS Cosma e Damiano) on Dr. Roberto Anichini which makes use of a team diabetic composed of 7 doctors, 9 nurses, 2 podiatrists and 1 dietician.
Since last December, when the service was transferred to the former “Filanda” (building located in the hospital area) with the greater availability of spaces, all located on the third floor, the specialist clinics have been reorganized and, together with the commitment of professionals, the response to patients has increased: in the first five months of 2024 (new location) compared to the first five months of 2023 (old facility), 1,000 medical services were carried out; 600 more in nursing and other professions, especially podiatrists.
“The transfer of all activity into a single environment – highlights the doctor Giuditta Niccolai, medical director of the hospital – has in fact made it possible to create an Endocrinometabolic Center with greater availability of spaces for the care of all diabetic patients arriving from the area, both in acute care with priority visits, and in continuity of care with check-ups, both for diagnoses, as well as taking care of pregnant women suffering from gestational diabetes. Particular attention in recent months has been paid to the consolidation of the path for level 2 diabetic foot and the chronic complications of the pathology with a further parallel path of injury prevention”.
It was, for example, possible to dedicate a clinic to new technologies: application of sensors for continuous monitoring of interstitial glucose, application of microinfusors for the continuous subcutaneous delivery of insulin associated or not with sensors.
The facility also offers a Day Service program for examinations and screening of complications with the execution of diagnostic tests.
An important change that has occurred in the new location is to be found in the educational role played by the nursing staff (almost 50% increase: with as many as 1677 patients involved in the first five months of this year) which allows for on-site and remote management all new educational and training approaches for patients and car givers (from lifestyle to blood sugar monitoring) thanks to the technological evolution that has developed for the treatment of diabetes.
Doctor Anichini explains the implementations: “thanks to the televisits (134 carried out from January to May this year compared to the 88 in the same period) not only is it possible for nurses to carry out therapeutic education, but it is also a modality for us doctors to develop greater closeness with our patients and, since the population affected by diabetes mellitus is continually increasing, we are working on a project to implement, even remotely, specialist assistance at a local level. This “pilot project” involves collaboration between family doctors, local nurses and diabetes teams and is also aimed at patients who do not physically belong to the diabetes centre. The project includes remote visits for updates on technology, treatment tools, education and screening.”
The diabetes team makes use of the collaboration of other specialists present in the Pescia hospital: mainly radiology, vascular surgery, orthopaedics, infectious diseases, gynaecology, ophthalmology, cardiology, in addition to the important connection at a territorial level with family doctors and nurses of Family and Community for the continuity of assistance for a pathology and its complications, the increase of which, as the epidemiological data show, is unfortunately constant.
“To have a diagnostic, therapeutic and care pathway in our hospital with a multi-professional and multidisciplinary team and operators who, in addition to taking care of the diabetic patient, are also responsible for informing and educating the patients themselves and the caregivers, together with the help of new technologies , is certainly a strategy to deal with this chronic disease and raises the quality of the protection. I thank Dr. Anichini and his entire team for the new reorganization carried out in the interest of our patients and their families” – concluded Dr. Niccolai.
