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Health care for older people in Italy: The U.L.I.S.S.E. project (Un Link Informatico sui Servizi Sanitari Esistenti per l’anziano — a computerized network on health care services for older people)

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The journal of nutrition, health & aging

Abstract

Objectives

The U.L.I.S.S.E. study is aimed at describing older patients who are cared for in hospitals, home care or nursing homes in Italy.

Design

The U.L.I.S.S.E. study is an observational multicenter prospective 1-year study.

Setting

Overall, 23 acute geriatric or internal medicine hospital units, 11 home care services and 31 nursing homes participated in the study.

Measurements

The patient’s evaluation was performed using comprehensive geriatric assessment instruments, i.e. the interRAI Minimum Data Set, while data on service characteristics were recorded using ad-hoc designed questionnaires.

Results

The older subjects who are in need of acute and long term care in Italy have similar characteristics: their mean age is higher than 80 years, they have a high level of disability in ADL, an important multimorbidity, and are treated with several drugs. The prevalence of cognitive impairment is particularly high in nursing homes, where almost 70% of residents suffer from it and 40% have severe cognitive impairment. On the other hand, there is a shortage of health care services, which are heterogeneous and fragmented.

Conclusions

Health care services for older people in Italy are currently inadequate to manage the complexity of the older patients. An important effort should be undertaken to create a more integrated health care system.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto Nazionale di Ricovero e Cura dell’Anziano INRCA), Ancona, Italy

    F. Lattanzio

  2. Istituto di Geriatria, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy

    C. Mussi & G. Salvioli

  3. Population’s Health Unit, National Center for Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health promotion — CNESPS, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy

    E. Scafato & L. Galluzzo

  4. Institute of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Perugia University Medical School, 06100, Perugia, Italy

    C. Ruggiero, G. Dell’aquila, U. Senin & Antonio Cherubini

  5. Centro di Medicina dell’Invecchiamento, Dipartimento di Scienze Gerontologiche, Geriatriche e Fisiatriche, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy

    C. Pedone, F. Mammarella, P. U. Carbonin & R. Bernabei

  6. Institute of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Perugia University Medical School, Piazzale Menghini 1, 06100, Perugia, Italy

    Antonio Cherubini

Authors
  1. F. Lattanzio
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  2. C. Mussi
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  3. E. Scafato
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  4. C. Ruggiero
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  5. G. Dell’aquila
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  6. C. Pedone
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  7. F. Mammarella
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  8. L. Galluzzo
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  9. G. Salvioli
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  10. U. Senin
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  11. P. U. Carbonin
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  12. R. Bernabei
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  13. Antonio Cherubini
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For The U.L.I.S.S.E. Study Group

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Lattanzio, F., Mussi, C., Scafato, E. et al. Health care for older people in Italy: The U.L.I.S.S.E. project (Un Link Informatico sui Servizi Sanitari Esistenti per l’anziano — a computerized network on health care services for older people). J Nutr Health Aging 14, 238–242 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-010-0056-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-010-0056-3

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