USI researchers review the health emergency response in Ticino

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Institutional Communication Service

25 May 2020

In March 2020, the Swiss Learning Health System (SLHS), which is coordinated by the University of Lucerne, invited its partners - including USI - to think and work on ways current research efforts in Switzerland and outside of the country can be supported and strengthened to address the international COVID-19 emergency. The research team led by professors Marco Meneguzzo and Stefano Calciolari and involving research fellow Dr. Laura González and PhD students Cecilia Luini and Santhosh Mannamplackal at the USI Institute of Economics (IdEP), promptly responded and negotiated two research initiatives in the form of Rapid Response Review (RRR). An early draft of the RRRs will be available by mid-June, as reports Prof. Meneguzzo in a short video.

The Swiss Learning Health System is a nationwide research project that was launched at the beginning of 2017, running until 2021, that aims at  establishing mechanisms that support decision-makers in finding and using the best evidence available and to engage them to implement change that will strengthen the health system, on all levels and along the continuum of care. "We will perform two RRRs, one on the response capacity of the hospital system operating in the Canton Ticino to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, and the other on the provision of services in nursing homes and home care organisations during the last two months of the health emergency", explains Prof. Meneguzzo.

The reviews will lean on the skills and knowledge provided by the Centre for Organisational Research - Health and Public Management (CORe) at IdEP and by the Master of Advanced Studies in Economics and Health Management (Net-MEGS). "We will analyze the managerial response of providers faced with different logistic and human resourses challenges, highlighting similarities and differences. In addition to that, further considerations on stakeholder management and engagement, and the implemented network governance model during the crisis will be developed", says Prof. Calciolari. "With the first RRR, we will conduct an in-depth analysis of the response organised by at least two providers of the Cantonal hospital system designated as Covid-centers (La Carità hospital in Locarno, and the Moncucco Clinic in Lugano), whereas with the other RRR, which is performed together with SUPSI, we will analyse the sectorial and managerial responses of nursing homes and home care services in Ticino. The research will be based on existing grey literature and in-depth (semi-structured) interviews with stakeholders at different levels", Calciolari concludes.

Professor Marco Meneguzzo describes the USI study (in Italian)

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