Methods to increase participation in organised screening programs: a systematic review.

Background: The European Community recommends the implementation of population-based screening programmes for cervical, breast, and colorectal cancers. This recommendation is supported by many observational studies showing that organised programmes effectively reduce mortality and control the inappropriate use of screening tests. We conducted a systematic review of studies assessing the efficacy of interventions to increase participation in organised population-based screening programs.

[Methods to increase participation in cancer screening programmes].

Objective: to synthesize scientific evidences about methods to increase cervical, breast and colorectal cancer screening participation.

Methods: a multidisciplinary working group has been set up to define the scope of the report and to conduct the evaluation. The scope and the final evaluation have been submitted to a stakeholder committee, including the Ministry of Health, the National Screening Observatory, regional screening program coordinators, scientific societies, and Lega Italiana Lotta ai Tumori, for comments and integrations.

Changing doctors' behaviours: an educational program to disseminate a new clinical pathway for the hospital management of hip fractures in elderly patients in the Lazio Region, Italy.

Rationale And Aims: Concerns with patient safety have increased interest in approaches to improving doctors' performance, yet dissemination of clinical guidelines and conventional continuing medical education have often failed. This study investigated the effects of an educational program based on reflection upon experience on the quality of care for patients with hip fracture in Lazio, Italy.

Methods: Five hospitals participated.

The role of education in improving physicians' professional use of economic evaluations of health interventions: some evidence from a cross-sectional survey in Italy.

A cross-sectional survey was carried out on a random sample of Italian physicians through a self-administered questionnaire to describe knowledge, attitudes, and professional behavior toward economic evaluations of health interventions. A response rate of 74.1% was achieved (760 questionnaires).

Epidemiology and costs of cervical cancer screening and cervical dysplasia in Italy.

Background: We estimated the number of women undergoing cervical cancer screening annually in Italy, the rates of cervical abnormalities detected, and the costs of screening and management of abnormalities.

Methods: The annual number of screened women was estimated from National Health Interview data. Data from the Italian Group for Cervical Cancer Screening were used to estimate the number of positive, negative and unsatisfactory Pap smears.

Physicians' knowledge, attitudes and professional use of RCTs and meta-analyses: a cross-sectional survey.

Background: Familiarity with Randomized Control Trials (RCTs) and meta-analyses is essential to practice Evidence Based Medicine (EBM). The aims of this study were to describe knowledge, attitudes and professional behavior of physicians towards methods to evaluate the efficacy of health interventions, particularly meta-analysis and to find out their possible associated factors.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out on a random sample of Italian physicians through a self-administered questionnaire.

[Prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization in injection drug users].

A prevalence study was conducted to evaluate Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization in two groups of injection drug users recruited at two drug addiction treatment centres in Rome and Frosinone (Italy). Prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization in the 181 subjects included in the study was 8.83%.