Medicina Ambulatoriale – 6th Edition

Outpatient medicine is a discipline in which physicians very often work alone, without the support of a medical team, as typically occurs in hospital wards. In most cases, they must act and make decisions rapidly, without the possibility of consulting colleagues, taking decisions that may prove crucial for the patient and for which they may ultimately be held accountable. In such circumstances, the burden of responsibility depends not only on professional competence, clinical knowledge and adherence to validated protocols, but also on knowledge of regulations that are generally not taught during university training or hospital internships.

This volume aims to help physicians practising outpatient medicine feel less isolated by providing essential operational tools: regulatory guidance, clinical tools and practical advice. Regulatory tools include not only laws and regulations governing the activity, but also guidance on drafting specific prescriptions, services, exemptions, certifications and mandatory acts. Professional tools consist of a comprehensive outpatient medicine handbook including diagnostic and therapeutic schemes for the most common conditions, following internationally accepted treatment protocols. The book also offers numerous practical recommendations on common errors, on what to do and what to avoid in potentially risky situations. In short, it provides concrete support for a medical profession that is far from simple.

This new edition of the Manuale di Medicina Ambulatoriale is published during what appears to be the twilight of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, a global crisis that claimed millions of lives and exacted a heavy toll on physicians and healthcare professionals. Only after extensive mass vaccination campaigns did the virus become less virulent and more manageable. Many new insights and therapeutic options have progressively enriched our clinical armamentarium and are concisely described in this volume. Additional new topics enrich the sixth edition, including pelvic inflammatory disease, coeliac disease, protein-calorie malnutrition, abdominal and thoracic aortic aneurysms, long QT syndrome and West Nile fever.