“The lack of operational units of dietetics and clinical nutrition within numerous Italian hospitals capable of managing the nutritional status of patients, considerably affects hospitalization times and the occupancy of beds, already reduced to the limit. The State-Regions Conference of 24 November 2016 hoped by 2017 the presence of a medical referent competent for clinical nutrition in at least 60% of the hospitals and competent in preventive nutrition in at least 60% of the ASL ‘and, by 2018 the presence of one Uo of dietetics and clinical nutrition for every 0.6-1.2 million inhabitants. To date, it does not appear that this has been implemented. The state of assistance in hospitals in our country requires urgent interventions, at all disciplinary levels and that of nutrition is certainly one of the most forgotten ones.“. This is the appeal-complaint of ADI, the Italian Association of Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition.
ADI – in making the appeal – announces its adhesion to the “Forum of the scientific societies of Italian hospital and university clinicians” (FoSsc), the first reality in our country that brings together doctors from different disciplines who treat patients every day in hospitals, established in recent days at the specific request of the Minister of Health to initiate an interview with professionals who assist millions of citizens.
“There is substantial scientific evidence showing how malnourished patients compared to normal nourished ones have a higher mortality during and after hospitalizationgreater complications, longer hospitalization times, with greater expenses by the NHS, a more frequent re-hospitalization after discharge “, declares in a note Giuseppe Malfi, president of Adi.” Yet the state of malnutrition of the sick in general and of the patient hospitalized in particular, he is scarcely considered and only in rare cases entrusted to specialists in dietetics and clinical nutrition, also because they are not very present and moreover little requested by the health administrations, perhaps due to a lack of awareness of the problem, perhaps due to an alleged need to contain expenses ” .
“The time has come – continues President Adi – to put in place interventions and immediately usable resources that allow Italy to face the development and reconstruction phase following the health crisis, keeping in mind the gaps, inhomogeneities and priorities of our hospitals, which is why, as Adi, we join the requests and objectives of the Forum. “FoSSC – the note recalls – is a structure that wants to collaborate with national and regional institutions in a profound and radical revision of the Ministerial Decree on hospital standards 2015. An important and urgent reform, also in light of the alarming data on the serious suffering of hospitals, which has already produced many deaths from Covid in our country, and to recover the delays accumulated in these two years of pandemic.
“Out of a population of about 6 million people with obesity, a disease recognized as such also by the Chamber of Deputies, we nutrition professionals ask ourselves which and how many professional figures will have to deal with its diagnosis and treatment in Italian hospitals” adds Malfi.
“According to a recent study – recalls the president Adi – the direct and indirect costs attributable to this pathology, contributing to a high percentage of cases of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arterial hypertension, cancer, would amount to over 13 billion euros. resources allocated to the health sector by the NRP are 20 billion, but most of these resources are directed to the local area and almost nothing to hospitals “, he complains. “In such a situation, we risk not being able to guarantee adequate services to patients. We therefore hope that through the work of the FoSSC the appeals of Italian doctors can finally be heard”, he concludes.