Il Decreto dell'Assessorato della Salute della Regione Sicilia "Raccomandazioni Regionali per la dimissione e la comunicazione con il paziente dopo un ricovero per evento cardiologico"

The Health Department of Sicily "Regional rec- ommendations for hospital discharge and communication with patients after admission due to a cardiologic event" Decree. M.G. Abrignani, G. De Luca, M. Gabriele, N. Tourkmani. Mortality and rehospitalizations still remain high after discharge for an acute cardiologic event. In this con- text, hospital discharge represents a potential pitfall for heart disease patients. In the setting of care transitions, the discharge letter is the main instrument of communica- tion between hospital and primary care. Communication, besides, is an integral part of high-quality, patient-cen- tered interventions aimed at improving the discharge process. Inadequate information at discharge significantly affects the quality of treatment compliance and the adop- tion of lifestyle modifications for an effective secondary prevention. The Health Department of Sicily, in 2013, established a task force with the aim to elaborate "Regional recommenda- tions for hospital discharge and communication with patients after admission due to a cardiologic event", inviting to par- ticipate GICR-IACPR and many other scientific societies of cardiology and primary care, as discharge letter and com- munication are fundamental junctions of care transitions in cardiology. These recommendations have been published as a specific decree and contain: - a structured model of discharge letter, which includes all of the parameters characterizing patients at high clinical risk, high thrombotic risk and low risk according to the Con- sensus document ANMCO/GICR-IACPR/GISE; is thus possible to identify these patients, choosing consequently the most appropriate follow-up pathways. A particular at- tention has been given to the "Medication Reconciliation" and to the identification of therapeutic targets; - an educational Kit, with different forms on cardiac dis- eases, risk factors, drugs and lifestyle; - a check-list about information given to the patient and caregivers. The "Recommendations" represent, in conclusion, the practical realization of the fruitful cooperation between sci- entific societies and political-administrative institutions that has been realized in Sicily in the last years.