Indagine e analisi comparativa delle procedure di codifica nella Terapia del Dolore in Italia

Abstract

This paper aims to analyse the coding practices used by Pain Therapy Centers in Italy, focusing on some of the main diagnostic procedures, diagnoses and types of care setting. Pain Therapy Centers have been invited to fill out a structured survey and the results have been analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively, in order to detect variability in the use of clinical coding systems. The findings have revealed the lack of uniformity in a relatively new discipline which has undergone a significant regulatory reorganization and has been greatly improved by technological-instrumental advances. This work will lay the groundwork towards an assessment of Pain Therapy care quality in Italy and the consequent efforts that are needed in order to define a common care model to ensure prompt and appropriate patient care.