The expert in hemostasis and thrombosis in the Italian health system: Role and requirements for a specific clinical and laboratory expertise

Hemorrhagic and thrombotic diseases are highly heterogeneous disorders that may affect a large proportion of the population, as in the case of patients taking antithrombotic drugs. The appropriate management of such conditions requires the availability of specific diagnostic assays, together with knowledge of the possible clinical syndromes and of their appropriate treatment. This can only be achieved through second-level specialized laboratories supervised by trained personnel. Such diagnostic and therapeutic organization is not widely available in Italy except in a very limited number of those large hospitals that are centers of excellence on a national scale. Increasing the availability of such resources would be of great benefit to patients, and could also be cost-effective for the national healthcare system. This document is promoted by the Italian Society for the Study on Hemostasis and Thrombosis (SISET) and by the main Italian scientific societies involved in the field during the years 2011-2012. It aims to identify the level of scientific and professional training required to define a physician as a Hemostasis and Thrombosis Expert, graded according to the levels of skill required for different clinical settings.