Faster intervention times for advanced emergency vehicles (medical vehicles and nursing vehicles), just 13 minutes, well below the 18 required; response times for the 5 so-called “time-dependent” serious pathologies (cardiac arrest, heart attack, respiratory failure, polytrauma, stroke) also improved significantly, with two districts – Correggio and Montecchio – reaching, unlike most of the ‘Emilia-Romagna, the quality standard of 90%. And then, again, the satisfactory debut of the Cau, the emergency assistance centers active since December in Reggio (24 hours a day) and Correggio (12 hours a day, soon at 16 hours), which in 3 months have guaranteed 10,789 services (8,329 of which in the city), decisive in 91% of cases (86% in Correggio).
A confirmation of the preparation of the professionals assigned to these structures, whose activity is appreciated by 93.7% of the citizens who have used them, according to a recently distributed questionnaire.
On the Emergency Room front, the assistance offered by the CAU made it possible to reduce access to offices by 3.3%, with a decrease in green and white codes (the less serious ones) from 65.5% in 2022 to 54.5% of 2024.
These are the data presented yesterday morning by the management of the USL IRCCS company of Reggio Emilia to the mayors gathered in the CTSS, the territorial social and health conference chaired by the president of the Province, Giorgio Zanni. A few months after the approval of the regional reform, the session was an opportunity for an update on emergency assistance.
The data in detail
The activity managed at provincial level by the 118 Operations Center records good results in all districts, with average response times well below the 18 minutes required by the New Guarantee System (NSG) for the arrival on site of the first vehicle rescue on the highest severity codes. The average arrival time of an advanced emergency vehicle, medical car or nursing car, in fact, is around 13 minutes.
From the point of view of the provision of vehicles, the picture is equally positive: if the legislation provides for an advanced emergency vehicle for every 60,000 citizens or every 350 km/q, the province of Reggio Emilia sees one for every 44,000 inhabitants. The data does not consider the additional service offered by the air ambulance, an element which makes it even more positive.
Furthermore, within the scope of quality standards, the Emilia-Romagna Region has set as an indicator the care coverage by health professionals of the so-called “First Hour quintet”, the 5 “time-dependent” pathologies, for which assistance is available within an hour after their onset is fundamental: cardiac arrest, heart attack, respiratory failure, polytrauma, stroke. Following the reorganization started in December, the performance indices for these pathologies improved in all districts and in two of these – Correggio and Montecchio – the ambitious regional target of 90% was achieved.
Good results also for the activity of the first 2 CAUs, that of Reggio open 24 hours a day since last December 20th and that of Correggio open for 12 hours during the day, which will soon be extended to 16, active since last December 27th.
Below are the activity data of the two CAUs updated as of March 17, 2024:
| CAU activity data updated to March 17, 2024 | |||||||||
| Visits performed | Problem solved and return home | Send to the emergency room | Specialist visit prescription | Deaths | Don’t show up after call | ||||
| Reggio Emilia | 8,329 | 7,554 | 91% | 438 | 5% | 337 | 4% | 0 | |
| 414 | Correggio | 2,469 | 2,130 | 86% | 221 | 9% | 118 | 5% | 0 |
| 85 | TOTAL | 10,798 | |||||||
The CAU can be accessed by telephone contact (on 0522 29 00 01) and the relative indication to present yourself by the team
Even the satisfaction questionnaires, which can be filled out by citizens online or in paper format, indicate a positive evaluation of the new service in 93.7% of cases.
Still within the scope of the implementation of the regional reform of the emergency emergency system, the opening of two other CAU offices is expected in the autumn, respectively in Scandiano and Montecchio.
How to access the CAU
The Cau can be accessed by calling 0522 29 00 01.
At the Cau the citizen is welcomed by a nurse and, if necessary, visited by a doctor who arranges any diagnostic investigations such as ultrasound and laboratory tests.
The outcome of the process carried out at the Cau becomes available on the Electronic Health Record.
The visit and diagnostic tests in the Cau are free for residents and assisted citizens of the Region. For others the visit costs 20 euros. Visits and services which fall within the management of mild traumatic events and which can be accessed within 24 hours of the event are also exempt from tickets. Further specialist services prescribed by the Cau doctor for diagnostic completion are the responsibility of the citizen.
You should contact the Cau in case of: injuries or pain in the limbs, erythema, insect bites, fevers, lumbago, mild abdominal pain, superficial wounds, skin irritations, joint or muscle pain, colic, flu symptoms, swelling, nausea or vomit. However, if you go to Cau for a condition that requires immediate 118 intervention, such as chest pain, severe difficulty breathing, a sudden and unusual headache, 118 will be activated immediately for transfer to hospital.
In the event of an emergency, if in doubt, it is always advisable to activate the 118 service.
