So, at Bambino Gesù, we recognise best practices that make care safer and more effective

Quality in healthcare is not merely about the clinical outcome of a treatment. It is a daily process, comprising expertise, organisation, active listening, collaboration and the ability to learn from mistakes. This is even more true in paediatrics, because a child is not simply a small adult: their body changes as they grow and requires treatment plans and solutions tailored to each stage of development.

This is the essence of the Bambino Gesù Paediatric Hospital’s Quality Day, a day dedicated to presenting and evaluating improvement projects carried out by the hospital’s staff. It is not merely a showcase, but an opportunity to observe, discuss and share day-to-day work, so that the experiences of individual wards can be transformed into a shared resource. Sharing what works, measuring results and disseminating best practice to make care ever safer, more effective and more focused on the needs of children and young people is the core value of Quality Day.

On 22 September 2026, the 17th edition of the initiative took place; since 2010, this initiative has been highlighting projects carried out by operational units to promote quality, safety and continuous improvement. A total of 597 Quality Projects have been carried out over the years, 36 of which in 2025. Furthermore, in 2025, 25 projects were developed through collaboration between multiple units and departments: this ability to work across organisational boundaries is vital for a complex healthcare system.

The award-winning projects demonstrate the hospital’s ability to combine innovation, expertise and care for patients and their families. The overall winning project, which focuses on the use of a fluorescent dye – indocyanine green – in oncological, general, paediatric and emergency surgery, aims to make surgical procedures more precise and targeted. The award for innovation went to the use of Low Laser Therapy for the management of mucositis; the award for results achieved went to the “A CASA CON DINU” project, which integrates home-based immunotherapy and telemonitoring for patients with neuroblastoma.

Projects on central venous catheter management and on the education of children with artificial hearts were recognised for their compliance with JCI standards, whilst the following were recognised for their transferability: ‘Ricoverarsi informati’ (Being Informed Before Admission), which focuses on more effective communication with families, and the art therapy project aimed at the wellbeing of nursing staff.