Clinical guideline on adenotonsillectomy: the Italian experience.

Five years after publishing the document on 'The clinical and organizational appropriateness of tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy' in 2003, a multidisciplinary group of experts came together again to update this document and to publish a guideline with grading of evidences and recommendations. Major revisions of the previous document were addressed to: (1) the diagnosis and indications for adenotonsillectomy in presence of OSAS in children, (2) the analysis of advantages of new surgical techniques in terms of effectiveness, costs or the risk of postsurgery bleeding and recurrences, and (3) the efficacy of perioperative management in reducing the incidence and duration of post-operative events. In fact, in the last years, a relevant number of evidence became available on the above-mentioned items making the need for a continuing updating of guidelines tangible.

Design and implementation of a hospital information system for the Palestine Red Crescent Society in Lebanon.

A case-mix hospital information system was designed and implemented in Palestine Red Crescent Society hospitals in order to support the network of Palestinian hospitals in Lebanon and to improve the health of refugees in the country. The system is based on routine collection of essential administrative and clinical data for each episode of hospitalization, relying on internationally accepted diagnostic codes. It is a computerized, user-friendly information system that is a stepping-stone towards better hospital management and evaluation of quality of care.

[Medicine and truth: between science and narrative].

To which idea of truth may medicine refer? Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is rooted in the scientific truth. To explain the meaning and to trace the evolution of scientific truth, this article outlines the history of the Scientific Revolution and of the parable of Modernity, up to the arrival of pragmatism and hermeneutics. Here, the concept of truth becomes somehow discomfiting and the momentum leans towards the integration of different points of view.

Hospitalisation among immigrants in Italy.

Background: Immigration is increasing in Italy. In 2003, 2.6 million foreign citizens lived in the country; 52% were men and the majority were young adults who migrated for work.

[Evaluation of the appropriateness of hospital admissions with the Italian version of the AEP in a university hospital].

It has been carried out a survey to evaluate the appropriateness of hospital stay in a university hospital. The aims of the study were: to determine the amount of inappropriate hospital admissions and inappropriate days of stay in relation to either wards and characteristics of admission; to analyse the reasons for inappropriate patient stay. A randomised sample stratified by ward of discharge of 224 medical records were analysed using the Italian version of the Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol.