Chronic Care Model in Italy: a narrative review of the literature

AIM: To analyze scientific literature on the development and implementation of the Chronic Care Model (CCM) in treating chronic diseases in the Italy context. Besides, to evaluate the effects of the activities carried out by the operators participating in the CCM on clinical care. BACKGROUND: Italy is the second country globally for longevity, with 21.4% of citizens over 65 and 6.4% over 80. The CCM fits into this context, a care model aimed primarily at patients suffering from chronic diseases, especially in emergencies, as the recent COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cinahl, and Cochrane Library scientific databases were consulted, and the records selected as relevant by title and abstract by nine independent scholars, and disagreements were resolved through discussion. Finally, the studies included in this review were selected based on the eligibility criteria. RESULTS: Twenty potentially relevant studies were selected, and after applying the eligibility criteria and screening by the Critical Appraisal Skills Program tool, eight included in this review. The studies showed the effectiveness of CCM for managing patients with heart failure in primary care settings and significant improvements in clinical outcomes, the reduction of inappropriate emergency room access for chronic patients, and the improvement of patients’ overall health with diabetes. The CCM organizational model is effective in improving the management of metabolic control and the main cardiovascular risk factors. Furthermore, this modality also allows doctors to dedicate more space to patients in the disease’s acute phase. CONCLUSION: The CCM, with its fundamental pillars of empowering self-management of care, could represent a valid alternative to health management. The managers of health services, especially territorial ones, could consider the CCM for the improvement of the treatments offered.