Inflammatory bowel disease: 400 mln costs for the SSN, one in three patients young

'The first priority,' Ghignoni emphasises, 'concerns the standardisation of diagnostic and care pathways, through the uniform adoption of national and international guidelines and the use of validated diagnostic protocols, so as to reduce variability in clinical decisions and ensure greater equity in access to treatment. At the same time, it is necessary to invest in advanced diagnostic technologies that can help to make the identification of the disease more timely and accurate, while enabling a more appropriate use of healthcare resources'. A further key element 'is represented by multidisciplinary care, integrating gastroenterological, nutritional and psychological skills'. In this context, the active involvement of patients through health education programmes and psychological support, tools that are increasingly recognised as essential to improve therapeutic adherence and clinical outcomes, is also of particular importance. Finally, specific attention must be paid to clinical nutrition. 'Ensuring access to medically prescribed oral nutritional supplements, through their inclusion in the Essential Levels of Care,' Ghignoni explains, 'would allow for more effective management of malnutrition associated with the disease, improving the clinical course and quality of life of patients, while also contributing to reducing costs for the healthcare system.

In order to promote the definition of strategies and integrated care, nutrition and treatment pathways that are increasingly personalised, effective and sustainable, capable of enhancing innovation and responding to the real needs of patients and the Country System, Assobiotec has launched a long-term multistakeholder initiative inaugurated with the institutional launch of the project at the Chamber of Deputies with the event 'Chronic Inflammatory Intestinal Diseases: the value of biotechnological research and collaboration between institutions, scientific societies and patient associations'. This meeting will be followed by other moments of structured discussion between national and local institutions, clinicians, patient associations and the biotechnology industry, with the aim of aligning care needs and scientific innovation. The project also envisages the creation, by ALTEMS and CEIS, of an econometric predictive/forecasting model capable of anticipating the economic effects of the availability of new diagnostic and therapeutic solutions, which will be presented at the end of the course.

'Focusing on early diagnosis, therapeutic innovation and integrated care models,' Ghignoni concludes, 'means offering better treatment paths to patients and making the healthcare system more efficient. Turning scientific progress into concrete organisational and political choices is no longer an option: it is the condition to really improve the lives of those living with MICI'.