Table 1.
Number and (in parentheses) percentage proportion of Italian specialist breast centres where associations of breast cancer patients and volunteers have a permanent and active role, by breast centre characteristic and type of support offered.
| Breast Centre Characteristic | Type of Support | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patient Reception and Information |
Patient Listening, Identification of Needs |
Psychological Support |
Assessment of Quality of Services | Participation in Fundraising Initiatives |
Other * | ||
| Total | 42 (51) | 35 (43) | 43 (52) | 15 (18) | 39 (48) | 4 (5) | 82 |
| Geographic area | |||||||
| North | 30 (57) | 24 (45) | 32 (60) | 12 (23) | 27 (51) | 3 (6) | 53 |
| Centre | 7 (37) | 7 (37) | 6 (32) | 1 (5) | 9 (47) | 1 (5) | 19 |
| South | 5 (50) | 4 (40) | 5 (50) | 2 (20) | 3 (30) | 0 (0) | 10 |
| No. of new breast cancer cases per year | |||||||
| <345 | 19 (46) | 16 (39) | 20 (49) | 6 (15) | 21 (51) | 2 (5) | 41 |
| ≥345 | 23 (56) | 19 (46) | 23 (56) | 9 (22) | 18 (44) | 2 (5) | 41 |
| No. of staff on the multidisciplinary team | |||||||
| <21 | 18 (44) | 18 (44) | 21 (51) | 6 (15) | 22 (54) | 3 (7) | 41 |
| ≥21 | 24 (59) | 17 (41) | 22 (54) | 9 (22) | 17 (41) | 1 (2) | 41 |
| BCCert certification | |||||||
| No | 27 (47) | 20 (34) | 29 (50) | 11 (19) | 25 (43) | 3 (5) | 58 |
| Yes | 15 (63) | 15 (63) | 14 (58) | 4 (17) | 14 (58) | 1 (4) | 24 |
| Regional appointment † | |||||||
| No | 2 (10) | 0 (0) | 2 (10) | 0 (0) | 2 (10) | 0 (0) | 21 |
| Yes | 40 (66) | 35 (57) | 41 (67) | 15 (25) | 37 (61) | 4 (7) | 61 |
| Hospital classification | |||||||
| Public hospital | 24 (46) | 22 (42) | 24 (46) | 8 (15) | 29 (56) | 4 (8) | 52 |
| Private accredited hospital | 2 (40) | 2 (40) | 4 (80) | 1 (20) | 3 (60) | 0 (0) | 5 |
| IRCCS and AOU | 8 (57) | 4 (29) | 8 (57) | 4 (29) | 3 (21) | 0 (0) | 14 |
| Private accredited IRCCS | 8 (73) | 7 (64) | 7 (64) | 2 (18) | 4 (36) | 0 (0) | 11 |
BCCert, European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists Breast Centre Certification; IRCCS, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (non-university research hospital); AOU, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria (university hospital). * Mainly including patient support to engage in rehabilitation programmes, diet sessions, and health groups. † In Italy, only breast centres receiving an official appointment by the Departments of Health of the regional administrations, which are largely responsible for healthcare provision in the country, become part of the regional network of breast centres.