Trentino Ranks High in Emergency Room Access, But Improper Accesses Lower Than Other Regions
TRENTO. In Trentino, access to the emergency room is higher than the national average, with over 30 accesses per 100 inhabitants compared to just under 30 on average. However, when it comes to inappropriate accesses, Trentino is actually doing better than some other regions. According to a report released by Agenas, Trentino has less than 5 improper accesses per 100 inhabitants, while Bolzano’s number is three times higher.
The report contains data on emergency room accesses and the effects of the strengthening of the emergency room ‘Territorial Assistance’ for better patient care. Nationally, there were 18.27 million accesses to the emergency room in 2023, representing a 6% increase compared to 2022.
The majority of emergency room visits are characterized by white and green triage codes, which account for 68% of cases. Approximately 22% of total accesses, or around 4 million visits, are considered improper. Improper accesses are those that could have been managed by family doctors or continuity of care doctors, rather than in the emergency room.
The report also analyzed the percentage of the population in internal areas far from the emergency room. Trentino ranks high in this category, with 8.08% of people living at least 30 minutes away from the emergency room, behind only Basilicata, Bolzano, and Sardinia.
The Agenas study suggests that the population unable to reach emergency room facilities within 30 minutes could be significantly reduced with the correct implementation of Ministerial Decree 77/2022. This decree outlines models and standards for the development of territorial assistance in the national health service, with the goal of caring for patients in new structures envisioned by the Pnrr.
In regions where this decree has been implemented, there has been an improvement in access to emergency care. Trentino is also taking steps to improve access with the creation of Community Houses. While the region may still rank fourth in terms of numbers, the percentage of Trentino residents far from treatment is expected to decrease to 5.76%.