The Protocol for the integrated management of COPD in the Liguria Region

In order to provide an integrated response to the needs of prevention and treatment and to ensure continuity of care between hospital and territory, with the resolution of the Regional Council. 518 of 05.04.2012 the Liguria Region has adopted the “Protocol for the integrated management of chronic diseases epidemiologically most important (diabetes, cardiac failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)”[1] as a reference model for Assistance of the subjects suffering from chronic diseases.

The Protocol identifies the services and benefits that must be offered by the Ligurian Local Healthcare Units (ASL) to all patients with COPD, diabetes, and cardiac decompensation and to ensure the appropriate levels of care. This is based on the recommendations made at the national and international consensus expressed on these latter by the networks of the Regional Health Plan of Liguria.

The social healthcare districts are the natural home of application of DTPs in COPD, with the task of ensuring the integration between GPs and respiratory specialists, operational integration between the DTPAs of COPD and those of other diseases and the identification / implementation of the booking channels to ensure the performance of tests to patients.

The Local Healthcare Units identify the organizational and managerial development of integrated management process, while the Region and the Regional Health Agency (ASR) is entrusted with the task of ex ante monitoring of the ongoing implementation of the Protocol and the caring of patients with COPD through annual indicators (see the attached table).