The Italian public health response during the pandemic emergency

From qualitative data to the “performance index” of care provided by Spoleto Hospital

Bibliographic Data

ID22085103
AuthorsSilvia Caroselli (0009-0009-2496-6647, Sapienza University of Rome), Martina Roselli (Ospedale di Spoleto), Aldo Germani (0000-0001-5108-3924, Sapienza University of Rome), Marco Fabiani (0000-0001-7370-1519, ALTA (Italy)), Caterina Micolonghi (0000-0002-4275-0032, Sapienza University of Rome), Vincenzo Visco (0000-0001-5067-3121, Sapienza University of Rome), Salvatore Raffa (0000-0001-9501-7638, Sapienza University of Rome), Rita Mancini (0000-0002-5491-2449, Sapienza University of Rome), Simona Petrucci (0000-0003-3400-4547, Sapienza University of Rome), Alexander Cardone, Orietta Rossi (Ospedale di Spoleto), Giorgio Banchieri (Azienda Sanitaria Locale Roma 3), Christian Napoli (0000-0002-5775-2276, Sapienza University of Rome), Maria Piane (0000-0001-8569-247X, Sapienza University of Rome, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume13
Pages1337375-1337375
Publication date2025-06-16
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565
PublisherFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpubh.2025.1337375
PMID40589817
OpenAlexW4411357001
LanguageEN
References cited52

Background: The public health emergency was one of the most severe consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, which occurred in successive waves since March 2020. In this scenario, the Hospital of Spoleto "San Matteo degli Infermi" (located in the Umbria region, Italy) became a COVID-19 referral center and therefore had to make organizational changes. This study aims to evaluate the quality of care provided during the pandemic and to explore what the hospital management should focus on. Methods: An online survey related to ten topics across the five pandemic waves that took place in Italy from March 2020 to February 2022, was administered to the hospital unit referents. The qualitative responses collected were analyzed quantitatively using a recognized tool, called "Streetlight PRIority Swot" (SPRIS) system and based on a new and multilevel "strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats" (SWOT) matrix. Results: It was highlighted that the demand for continuity of care for patients and an increase in personal protective equipment were the issues that should have been the focus of the intervention after the first wave. Taking this into account, an improvement in performance was observed in the subsequent waves. Therefore, the results described a more than good quality of care provided among the hospital units, although with the need to improve the orthopedic services, emerged as the most critical area. Limitations reasons for caution: Due to practical limitations, the study population was limited to the hospital unit referents. Future broader surveys may enrich the information from the hospital experience. The SPRIS system uses a general-to-specific approach which can lead to a complex outcome assessment. However, careful and continuous application supports the analytical validity and utility of this method. Conclusion: The analysis based on the SPRIS system showed the effective response of Spoleto Hospital after the first sudden wave for the following four pandemic waves, driven by the implementation of safety measures. The perspective adopted and the scenario tested can be seen as a starting point for an educational tool to monitor and evaluate health management strategies during emergency periods

Disease · Emergency response · Family medicine · Health care · Medical emergency · Pandemic · Political science · Public health · World Wide Web · Computer Science · COVID-19 and healthcare impacts · Disaster Response and Management · Medicine · Nursing · Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation · Internal Medicine

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