Pozzallo, on display the limits of the emergency service

Strengthening primary care, improving integration between health services, planning for personnel needs with foresight, and intensifying interaction with patients: these are the lines of action that emerged from the initiative "Emergency is Territory", promoted on Saturday, March 14, by the Misericordia di Modica at the Meno Assenza cultural center in Pozzallo.

The event brought together emergency and urgent care professionals from the province along with general practitioners, aiming to focus on critical issues and shared solutions.

The discussion highlighted the need for more direct communication between local operators and hospital facilities, in order to avoid overloading emergency rooms and ensure faster and more appropriate care pathways.

"Urgent and emergency care cannot be improved by intervening on just one part of the system – stated Giuseppe Ammatuna, a resident physician in Emergency Medicine – Decision-makers must adopt a holistic view, aligning incentives, investing in healthcare personnel, and strengthening primary care so that patients receive the right care in the right place and at the right time."

Among the critical issues reported: direct access to emergency departments even for problems manageable at the local level, difficulties in quickly scheduling visits with family doctors, incomplete trust in local services, and incentive systems that, in fact, push towards hospitalization.

The day concluded with a commitment to continue with moments of discussion and joint training, believing that a closer integration between territorial medicine and emergency-urgent care can ensure a healthcare service that is more equitable and responsive to the needs of citizens.

In this perspective, the Misericordia di Modica intends to start a traveling training program in the various cities of the district, making appointments of this level a shared constant.

Speakers:

Dr. Giovanni Noto, director of the Emergency Room at the "Giovanni Paolo II" Hospital in Ragusa

Dr. Romualdo Polara, director of the Emergency Room at the Maggiore "Nino Baglieri" Hospital in Modica

Dr. Giuseppe Molino, director of the Emergency Room at the "R. Guzzardi" Hospital in Vittoria

Dr. Ignazio Allibrio, general practitioner and provincial councilor FIMMG

Dr. Luca Gregni, nursing coordinator of the Emergency Room at the Maggiore "Nino Baglieri" Hospital in Modica

The Dr. Angelo Gugliotta, Governor of the Misericordia of Modica, presided over the proceedings. The moderator of the initiative was Dr. Giuseppe Ammatuna.