DiPP-CoN

DiPP-CoN, aims at developing a training program for FCNs in the Piedmont region, North-West Italy, identified as key actors within the Italian healthcare reform promoted by the Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza (PNRR), enabling them to acquire disaster preparedness skills, including regarding patient prioritization during crises, and to enable FCNs to empower patients living with ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs), as well as their caregivers in the management of their conditions during disasters.

The project follows a multi-phase approach to understand and address gaps in primary care during disasters and to understand the potential role of FCNs in disaster preparedness and response.

1. Mapping and analysis of the literature concerning hospitalizations for ACSCs during the COVID-19 pandemic, as effective management of these conditions at primary care level can often prevent the need for hospitalization. This phase aims to identify both system-level and patient-level vulnerabilities that affect access to care and lead to avoidable hospitalizations.

2. In-depth interviews with professionals working in the Emergency Department, Internal Medicine, as well as at Primary Care level to explore the barriers and facilitators influencing ACSCs-related hospitalizations and the continuity of care during the pandemic.

3. Co-design of the training program and of tools for patient preparedness and prioritization as well as action protocols to be enacted during a crisis together with a pool of primary care nurses involved in focus group discussions.

4. Pilot of the training program with a group of FCNs in Piedmont to assess its feasibility, acceptability, and initial impact, providing essential evidence to support future scale-up.