Sostenibilità economica delle cure palliative: argomenti e istruzioni per l’uso

The implementation of the measures related to the NRRP (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) is a unique opportunity to consolidate and develop Palliative Care Networks. One of the main challenges that palliative care faces, in addition to finding healthcare professionals and adopting adequate outcomes, is to make healthcare institutions aware of their economic sustainability. In line with the World Health Organization, it is worth remember- ing that palliative care, for adults and for children, allows significant savings in healthcare costs (thanks to less in- vasive and high-intensity end-of-life care, more integrat- ed care and fewer hospitalizations) even if the costs of informal care and private costs are often not adequately measured. In conclusion, it can be stated that economic analyses highlight how investment in adult and pediatric palliative care allows for an improvement in the quality of life of patients, caregivers and family members while reducing costs for the community. The intersection of the best outcomes with low costs therefore designs what is de- fined by scientific literature as a “dominant program”, i.e. a healthcare project that takes on the character of a priority.