The STEP surveillance system
Passi (Progress of Healthcare Companies in Italy) is a system to collect information on behaviors that can affect the health of individual citizens, such as eating habits, smoking, physical activity, etc. Passi was born from an initiative of the Ministry of Health and Regions and is implemented in our Healthcare Company as well as in many other Regions of Italy. The information will be collected by an ASL operator: Inf. Prof. Dr. Franca Celani; Inf. Prof. Olga Ferrante and/or the PASSI Company Coordinator, Dr. Carla Chiara Mizzoni, who will address some questions by phone to a sample of people between 18 and 69 years old for the PASSI d ‘Argento and between 69 years old and over for the Passi d ‘Argento, chosen randomly from those assisted by the Local Health Authority of Frosinone. Citizens will be notified in advance with a letter. The time needed for the interview is about 15-20 minutes. The information collected will be anonymised and processed in accordance with the current privacy law, and will be used to plan interventions aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle and the prevention of important non-communicable chronic diseases such as cancers, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, diabetes, etc. This information will also be useful to improve the quality of health services offered by our asl. Family Physicians have also been involved and informed, who will be able to help you explain the meaning and purpose of this initiative.
Why is it important?
Scientific evidence has amply shown that incorrect behaviours and lifestyles are now a real health emergency, which increases the risk of chronic diseases such as cancers, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, diabetes, etc. The Passi system will allow our ASL to collect information on precisely those behaviours that can be harmful to the health of the person and that are often poorly known. It will also allow you to know everyone’s opinion about their state of health: “how I am”, “how I feel”. The information, collected continuously, can be used by the ASL itself, both for the implementation of interventions aimed at the prevention of chronic diseases and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle, and to subsequently evaluate public health interventions. The main topics under investigation are: physical activity, smoking, nutrition, alcohol consumption, road safety, prevention of breast, cervical and colon cancer. It is really important for the ASL to know the point of view of each individual person interviewed, in order to be able to carry out interventions focused on the specific needs of citizens and therefore improve the quality of the health services offered. Our asl will thus be able to intervene more and more not only to treat chronic diseases, but also to prevent them.
We need your help
In order to be able to collect information on health risk behaviours among the people who are part of our ASL, the collaboration of everyone is necessary. The Passi system will be addressed by means of a telephone interview to a sample of people between 18 and 69 years of age and from 69 years of age onwards, chosen at random from those assisted by our ASL. The availability of telephone interviews by citizens can certainly promote communication and dialogue with the ASL. Answering the questions posed by the interviewer is a way to make known your lifestyle, your behaviors and at the same time your opinion and your needs regarding health. It is also a way to collaborate with your ASL for the implementation of useful interventions for prevention and health promotion. Those who will be chosen will therefore be able to provide concrete help to improve the health conditions, yours and those of other citizens.
Take your steps, answer the questionnaire
If you are part of the sample of people to be interviewed, chosen randomly from those assisted by our ASL, you will receive a letter describing the initiative and reporting the reference telephone numbers for further clarification. You will then be contacted by phone by an ASL healthcare professional, to whom you can communicate your decision regarding the interview. If you decide to carry out the interview, you can agree with the operator the most convenient day and time for you to answer the questions. If you wish, you can still stop the interview at any time. The questions are very simple and will engage you for about 15-20 minutes. Your answers will be combined with those of the other people interviewed to build a general framework of information. Everyone will be guaranteed absolute anonymity: the current privacy law ensures precisely this, as does the commitment and seriousness of the ASL. Your family doctor is also informed and involved: you can still contact him to ask for further explanations on the meaning and purpose of this initiative.
