The Health division of Wolters Kluwer, a leading global provider of information and point of care solutions for the healthcare industry, announced that the Department of Epidemiology of the Lazio Region in central Italy selected UpToDate® clinical decision support as a key resource to answer clinical questions at the point of care and to support their research initiatives.

For over 30 years, the Department of Epidemiology (DEP) of the Regional Health Service of Lazio Region has conducted epidemiological research in clinical, etiologic, environmental and occupational areas. This is performed through continuous monitoring and evaluation of the regional health services. At the same time, the DEP includes a scientific documentation unit that, among other activities, coordinates an International Cochrane Group, dedicated to the study of alcohol and drug addiction.

In 2014, the Regional Health Directorate of the Lazio Region promoted the creation of an online digital library for healthcare professionals modeled on similar successful initiatives in the Piedmont Region and the Autonomous Province of Bolzano. The Department of Epidemiology leads development and management of the tool that supports staff in their care and administrative tasks, and continuous training and research.

Inaugurated in February 2015, the Alessandro Liberati Library (BAL) serves as the regional access point for UpToDate, Wolters Kluwer's clinical decision support resource. UpToDate was chosen by the DEP for its comprehensive content, ease of use and the positive feedback identified in an analysis of international literature examining primary point-of-care tools. Thanks to UpToDate, clinicians at local health authorities can find answers to questions arising in daily practice and access current clinical and pharmacological research.

The UpToDate network of more than 6,300 world-renowned physician authors, editors, and peer reviewers use a rigorous editorial process to synthesize the most recent medical information into trusted, evidence-based recommendations that are proven to improve the quality of patient care. UpToDate covers 24 specialties and includes more than 10,500 clinical topics, each of which transparently lists the topic’s authors, the date it was last updated and a complete bibliography. While topics are presented in English, users can navigate the site and search diseases, symptoms, procedures and medications in several languages, including Italian.

For clinicians at the Department of Epidemiology of the Lazio Region, UpToDate content includes an authoritative drug and drug interaction database thanks to an integration with Lexicomp®, and a series of more than 160 medical calculators help clinicians quickly and accurately calculate many different medical measurements. Practice Changing UpDates highlight specific new recommendations and updates that UpToDate editors anticipate may change usual clinical practice.

Department executive, Dr. Laura Amato, stated, “At a time when it has become virtually impossible for our doctors to keep up with the flow of new research and primary sources need to be carefully and critically evaluated, a tool like UpToDate ensures we have ready access to the most current and reliable clinical knowledge and expert guidance. The inclusion of UpToDate in the education courses of the Liberati Library is a particularly significant aspect of the project. UpToDate supports the library’s imperative to help clinicians make clinical decisions based on scientific evidence, and ensures doctors continue to critically evaluate medical literature.”

In the year and a half since UpToDate first became available, the online clinical decision support resource is increasingly used, garnering over 3,000 monthly views by over 1,500 clinicians and researchers. The DEP and Regional Offices helped support such widespread adoption by coordinating communication and training sessions that were promoted by the library. To learn more about the Department of Epidemiology of the Lazio Region, please visit http://www.deplazio.net.

About Wolters Kluwer
Wolters Kluwer N.V. (AEX: WKL) is a global leader in information services and solutions for professionals in the health, tax and accounting, risk and compliance, finance and legal sectors. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with specialized technology and services.

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