The hospital in Pitigliano (Tuscany) is the first hospital in Italy to put into practice a model of Integrated
Medicine. This clinical setting caters for the use of complementary medicine (homeopathy and
acupuncture (針灸zhen jiǔ)) alongside orthodox therapies (conventional medicine). The therapeutic
model implicates doctors who are experts in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM; 補充與替代
醫學bǔ chong yǔ tì dai yı xue) and the rest of the hospital personnel working together as equals. This
contribution explains the difficulties, critical aspects and potential of this innovative setting.
The clinical setting for Integrated Medicine was evaluated in part through observation and in part
through the analysis of approval questionnaires. The writers of the questionnaires were the orthodox
medical personnel and the hospital patients.
The project is still evolving today in spite of the initial partial contrariety of some doctors in the
hospital and some external doctors in the area. However, it can already be considered a positive experience,
as confirmed by the high approval gained from many health workers and most of the hospital
patients. Moreover, the follow-up carried out through specific surgeries dedicated to CAM is extremely
positive.
Up to now 532 inpatients suffering from acute illnesses, relapse of a chronic illness or neurological or
orthopaedic rehabilitation following strokes, brain haemorrhage, neurological illness or limb prosthesis
operations have been treated. This work has tried to illustrate the innovative and positive experience for
the Italian public health authorities so that it may also be useful to anyone who would like to promote
similar initiatives within its public health Institution.