Letizia Lafuenti

Dr. Letizia Lafuenti

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Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

4Years (2023-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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18 September 2023 in Health Psychology Report
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
LLLetizia Lafuenti
Letizia Lafuenti
LDLoredana Dinapoli
Loredana Dinapoli
LMLudovica Mastrilli
Ludovica Mastrilli
VSVezio Savoia
Vezio Savoia
MLMarinella Linardos
Marinella Linardos
Daniela Pia Rosaria ChieffoDaniela Pia Rosaria Chieffo
Daniela Pia Rosaria Chieffo
Background: Post-traumatic growth (PTG) is defined as “positive psychological change experienced as a result of the struggle with high-ly challenging life circumstances”. Diagnosis of cancer leads to many psychological challenges. The recent pandemic forced oncological patients to face...

Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Daniela Pia Rosaria ChieffoDaniela Pia Rosaria Chieffo
Daniela Pia Rosaria Chieffo
VMValentina Massaroni
Valentina Massaroni
VDValentina Delle Donne
Valentina Delle Donne
LLLetizia Lafuenti
Letizia Lafuenti
LMLaura Monti
Laura Monti
Antonio GasbarriniAntonio Gasbarrini
Antonio Gasbarrini
Background: Psychological services within hospitals are essential to delivering integrated, patient-centred care, yet in many health systems they remain fragmented, variably organised, or confined to specific medical specialties. The Clinical Psychology Unit of the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli, Istituto di Ricerca e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), represents one of the few examples of a hospital-wide psychological governance model in Italy, but its organisational structure and longitudinal activity have not previously been systematically described. Objective: This study (I) describes the organisational design and operational components of the Gemelli Unit; (II) compares it with international organisational models using a typological framework; and (III) examines its resilience and adaptive capacity during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: A descriptive–narrative approach was adopted, integrating institutional documentation, routinely collected service data (2019–2024), anonymised case vignettes, and a structured comparison with national and international psychological care structures. The analysis was informed by theoretical models of integrated health-care delivery and by Donabedian’s structure–process–outcome framework. Results: Between 2019 and 2024, psychological interventions increased from 28,878 to 47,076 (+63%), with a post-pandemic average of 41,868 annual interventions. In 2024, the Unit supported 2150 patients and 340 healthcare professionals, with psycho-oncology accounting for approximately one-third of all activities. The model integrates clinical activity, staff support, conflict management, research, and training under a centralised governance structure, ensuring hospital-wide coverage and coordinated referral pathways. The comparative analysis identified four international organisational types—department-based, liaison/specialty-based, structured health-system, and academic–clinical hybrid—highlighting the hybrid and transversal nature of the Gemelli Unit and its capacity to maintain and adapt services during the COVID-19 emergency. Conclusions: The Gemelli Unit represents a distinctive hospital-wide organisational model that combines centralised governance, transversal deployment, personalised care, and structured support for healthcare professionals. These characteristics position it as a potentially transferable benchmark for health systems seeking to integrate psychological care into core organisational and clinical processes. Future work should prioritise the development of standardised outcome indicators and national frameworks to support the evaluation and harmonisation of hospital-based psychological services.