Our commitment on the topic
Since its inception in 1978, Cittadinanzattiva Onlus has worked continuously to advocate for safer healthcare, first at the National level and then also at EU level through its international branch called Active Citizenship Network (ACN). In particular, in 2002, ACN drafted the European Charter of Patients' Rights together with other patient associations from 15 different countries. The Charter underlines, among others, the Patients’ Right to preventive measures, the Patients’ Right to the observance of quality standards, the Patients’ Right to safety, the Patients’ Right to Innovation.

To encourage the implementation of the abovementioned patients’ rights, we have developed activities in different fields of action:

At the national level (until 2020):

Patient safety & prevention of nosocomial infections.

Cittadinanzattiva has always been committed to the safety and quality of health care and healthcare facilities, and for many years it has been dealing with the issue of healthcare-associated infections in Italy. The data from our latest report “Pit salute 2017,” elaborated by Cittadinanzattiva, confirm what is still to be done on the subject. Indeed, it is clear from the citizens’ reports that many critical issues are linked to infections. In addition to the reports collected by the citizens, the following initiatives have been carried out:

• “Safety Hospital” (1998- 2004); An abstract of this initiative was published in 2006 by La Rivista Italiana della Medicina di Laboratorio - Italian Journal of Laboratory Medicine (Riv Ital Med Lab), the official journal of SIPMeL. SIPMeL is a medical/scientific Association of Clinical laboratory professionals.To know more clik on Patient safety and Laboratory Medicine: citizens’ point of view and dowload the article
• “Charter for Quality in surgery” (2007);
• Awareness campaign on the prevention of nosocomial infections (2011);
• “Civic recommendations on the prevention of health care-associated infections”(2013);
• “Operation security” (2014);
• “Health care-related and antibiotic-resistance infections” (2017-2018)
• 2019. In the framework of the 1st National Patient Safety Day “Giornata Nazionale per la sicurezza delle cure e della persona assistita” promoted by the Italian Ministry of Health last 17^th September 2019, AGENAS publishes the “Dictionary for the safety of care for the citizen”, drafted by the National Observatory of Good Practices on health safety, in partnership with Cittadinanzattiva. Download the document
• (October 2020) Launch of the "Charter of quality and safety of care for patients and healthcare professionals" realized by Cittadinanzattiva thank to the unconditional support of COPMA. Read more and download the document (both in IT)
• (November 2020) Launch of the campaign for the prevention of HAIs promoted by AMICI Onlus. Read more (IT)
• (December 2020) Webinar organized by SDA Bocconi School of Management ONE HEALTH: Covid-19 and actions to reduce nosocomial infections, AMR and associated costs. Read more (IT)

Contracting & concession services: accessibility, quality, civic evaluation.

• Since 1998 in Italy, Cittadinanzattiva has launched initiatives of concrete experimentation on the accessibility and quality of the services managed in procurement & concession.
• We started with a survey of the most significant experiences of citizens' participation in defining and verifying the implementation of procurement contracts in public services.
• We have continued to promote a new governance of services, as a guarantee for the protection of collective interests, in three phases: the design of services and the definition of tender specifications; the monitoring of the implementation of procurement contracts; the evaluation for the redefinition of contracts and specifications.
• We have promoted concrete experiments: practices of involving users in school catering contracts, personal services and hygiene services. Hence, the launch of specific activities in the field of cleaning services and urban hygiene, with the aim of involving citizens to ensure cleanliness. To learn more click here.
• Among the main results obtained, with regard to the civic evaluation of services, there is undoubtedly the new regulation of the control of local public services introduced by the 2008 Budget Law (art.2 paragraph 461). This was followed by memoranda of understanding for the implementation of this legislation, for example, cf. the protocol signed with CONFSERVIZI (Asstra-Federambiente-FederUtility) for the participation and control of users in the utility services market.
• Strong of these positive results, in the following years Cittadinanzattiva diversified its activity in terms of contracted services. On the one hand, in fact, the sector has been analyzed from the point of view of transparency and legality, on the other it has given rise to a growing activity of monitoring and quality analysis in public utility services. To learn more, click here.
• Civic recommendation "The tender I would like - Purchases in health guaranteeing the rights”(2017-2018).

Here you can find some articles on Italian media and our participation in public events that clearly illustrates our commitment on the topic

• Care (2, 2019 - 25/07/2019): “Nelle nostre Mani”
• Corriere.it (12 luglio 2019): Italiani malati di antibiotici, abbiamo il record del consumo
• Quotidiano Sanità (14 giugno 2018): “Infezioni batteriche e antibiotico resistenza. Come contrastarle? Con una Partnership che coinvolga tutti gli attori del sistema”
• Federbio (18 Nov. 2016): “Giornata europea degli antibiotici, associazioni scrivono a ministro Lorenzin per chiedere confronto sugli impegni presi e da prendere contro la resistenza agli antibiotici
• 2019. “L’igiene delle mani: strumento per la prevenzione delle infezioni correlate all’assistenza e dell’antimicrobico-resistenza”, event organized in Rome last 9th May 2019 by the Italian Ministry of Health. Download the programme
• 2018. “Malattie infettive, resistenza agli antibiotici: la campagna One Health”, organized in Rome last 14 giugno 2018
• Quotidiano Sanità (17 July 2020): “Antibioticoresistenza. Italia tra i Paesi più colpiti. Servono politiche incentrate su prevenzione ed estensione vaccinazioni “(IT)  
• Care (22 July 2020): “Antimicrobico-resistenza: mai abbassare la guardia”, video interview with Antonio Gaudioso (IT)
• Care (22 July 2020): “Covid-19 e antimicrobico-resistenza: due emergenze che si intrecciano” (IT)

At the European level (until 2020):

10th October 2018. Discussant at the event led at the European Parliament titled “Scientific Research and Innovation The Future of Hygiene. Reducing Healthcare Associated Infections & AMR Evidence from Italy's new multi-center SAN ICA study”.

Materials:

• Download the programme
• Watch the video interview
• Reducing healthcare-associated infections incidence by a probiotic-based sanitation system: A multicentre, prospective, intervention study

Innovation in hygiene and sanification to reduce healthcare associated infections and antimicrobial resistance in European hospitals

European training seminar (4 February 2019)
On February 4th, 2019, Active Citizenship Network organized a European training seminar on patient safety & healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), opened to a selected number of leaders of patients’ associations and advocacy groups coming from twelve EU Member States plus an Extra EU Member State (Kosovo). During the seminar, the following topics were presented and discussed:

• The overall public and private engagement on the topic;
• The role of innovation to improve hygiene in the healthcare sector;
• The case history of the innovative sanitation system PCHS®;
• New strategies to advocate in this field of action.

Read more about this initiative here.

Public Event at the European Parliament (5 February 2019)
On February 5th, ACN has realised a multi-stakeholder event at the EU Parliament, immediately after the European training seminar, taking the discussion on patient safety and HAIs to the institutional level. The meeting was hosted by the MEPs Interest Group “European Patients' Rights and Cross-border Healthcare”. This initiative is in line with an approach aimed to guarantee continuity and not just spot initiatives on patient safety and healthcare-associated infections. Active Citizenship Network realized this activity to improve access to a safer healthcare, raising awareness among patient associations, advocacy groups and EU Institutions.
Read more about this initiative here.

On April 4th 2019 Active Citizenship Network and INSERM, the coordinator of the EU JAMRAI, signed a MoU which recognized ACN as official collaborating stakeholder to the Joint Action, as you can find in the official website. Download our brief summary of the EU-JAMRAI 2nd Annual Meeting & Stakeholder Forum, realized in Rome last 16th-17th September 2019.

Open letter to the Members of the European Parliament on the importance to sustain EU progress in fighting against antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
Last September 2019 Active Citizenship Network, togheter with other 16 organisations active in human and animal health have sent an open letter to the Members of the European Parliament, urging them to bring antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to the forefront of EU interinstitutional discussions and to support the establishment of a dedicated AMR parliamentary group. Read more

Active Citizenship Network in the jury panel of EU-JAMRAI Antibiotic Resistance Symbol Contest
In November 2019, ACN has been invited to join the jury of EU-JAMRAI contest for a symbol that represents the global threat of antibiotic resistance. The EU-JAMRAI Antibiotic Resistance Symbol Contest has been officially launched on the 18th of November 2019, in the framework of the European Antibiotic Awareness Day. To participate, click here.

2019 Anti-Infectives Global Patient Advocacy Advisory Summit
Last November 2019, Cittadinanzattiva has been invited to join the Global Patient Advocacy Advisory Summit to discuss, together with leaders of advocacy group coming from all the work, key issues affecting anti-infective therapies and anti-microbial resistance (AMR). To read a brief summary, click here.

Global Anti-Infectives (AI) & Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Patient Advocacy Advisory Summit
On 17^th & 18^th November 2020, the Director of Active Citizenship Network, Mariano Votta, took part in the second annual Global Anti-Infectives (AI) & Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Patient Advocacy Advisory Summit, organized by Pfizer, where have been discussed key issues affecting AI therapies (including AMR) and assessed ways the Company can strengthen its anti-infective strategy and improve how they work with patient organizations.

AMR, Healthy Ageing & Innovation: A Key Opportunity for European Policy Leadership
On November 19th, 2020, the Secretary General of Cittadinanzattiva, Antonio Gaudioso, participated in the Virtual Expert Rountable on AMR, Healthy Ageing & Innovation, organized by the Global Coalition on Aging, that aimed to leverage the EU’s heightened focus on demographic change to frame AMR in the context of Europe’s healthy. Read more

EUROPEAN PATIENTS’ RIGHTS DAY 2020
On 18th & 19th November 2020 has been held the digital conference to celebrate the 14th European PATIENTS’ RIGHTS DAY. Indeed, due to the Covid-19 pandemic the habitual European conference was postponed. The event, titled “ONE health approach, MULTIPLE answers: Citizens’ engagement & stakeholders' actions to tackle antimicrobial resistance and sustain EU progress” analyzed, during the first day, the public and private sector challenges to address the “the Silent Tsunami” and, during the second day, the steps towards an AMR citizens’ alliance.

Read more

(last updated December 2020)