How to help cancer patients not to get lost in treatment paths that include different exams and multiple specialists? The Arianna project was born to answer this question. A project whose name refers to the princess of Crete who helped the hero Theseus navigate the labyrinth to kill the Minotaur. The goal is to build a direct access path to care for patients with a new diagnosis of cancer, which starts from the general practitioner. In fact, through a special email, the general practitioner will report the patient’s suspected neoplasm to the Oncology Operative Unit.
Within 48 hours the person will be contacted, taken in charge and the general practitioner will be informed of the entire clinical path that the citizen will have to undertake. Security of taking charge, reduction of access to the emergency room (about 20% of patients with a new diagnosis of cancer transit to the emergency room, the majority without emergency codes), greater efficiency of the diagnostic-therapeutic path are the main objectives. The project is an example of integration between the hospital and the local area. Designed by dr. Stefano Tamberi, UOC Oncology Ravenna director, was shared with Dr. Francesca Bravi, health director of AUSL Romagna, with Dr. Roberta Mazzoni, Ravenna district director, with Dr. Stefano Falcinelli, president of the Ravenna Medical Association, and disseminated to primary care units, thanks to Dr. Mauro Marabini, director of the primary care and community medicine department. After a period of experimentation and verification of the proposed objectives, this path, activated throughout the province of Ravenna, can be extended to other areas of Romagna.