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In our day-to-day professional experience as doctors and chemists, we have often noted the poor quality of communication between us and other healthcare workers. We have observed how this in turn can adversely affect communication with the patient, which not only results in poor service to patients themselves, but also impairs the quality of our own work. Moreover, we are convinced that certain such behaviours are ubiquitous. We have therefore sought to evaluate this aspect of our professional life, using literature available on-line. The results reveal the existence of a large number of publications dedicated to relationships between different professions, and representing every possible position: from those frankly critical of other healthcare workers, to those seeking simply to understand these phenomena, to those planning strategies to overcome long-lasting animosities. Even the Italian Health Ministry, in its treatment of themes related to clinical risk, has devoted considerable attention to the quality of communication between healthcare workers. The conclusion we have reached is that there are two areas which are crucial to the improvement of inter-professional relations, namely: sufficient training in these matters in University courses, and a shift in conflicting ethical positions, which often reflect individual professional experience.

Aim: The purpose of the study was the objective assessment of the outpatients satisfaction of the Medical Oncology Unit in Colleferro (USL Roma G), Italy., Materials and Methods: A retrospective survey conducted on 584 patients using a closed questionnaire focusing on nine items assess the degree of satisfaction expressed by patients relating to the different aspects of the service. The main aspects object of analysis were the accommodation, the relationship with the staff, the comfort of the structure and the health assistance received., Results: The survey showed a high percentage of overall satisfaction for each of the nine parameters evaluated. There were no significant differences appreciated on a personal variables., Conclusions: The evaluation of customer satisfaction is a useful tool to measure patients approval and to meet their needs.

While economic resources continue to decrease, there is a growing demand for health treatment. This faces health workers with an ethical dilemma. They are caught between, on the one hand, their responsibility to the individual patient and, on the other hand, the obvious need to make new treatments available to the largest number of patients. This clearly highlights the need for a regulated system of allocation of resources, whose rules must be agreed to by all operators in the field.