MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS IN ITALIAN UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL: THE CASE OF PIEDMONT REGION

Italian university hospitals are a kind of “teaching hospital” that are covered by specific agreements between health institutions and universities, contained in Legislative Decree no. 571/1999 and Decree of the President of the Council of Minister May 24, 2001. University hospitals are custodian of a triple mission: a) delivering specialized and innovative medical care to patients (health care function); b) providing clinical education and training to future and current doctors, nurses, and other health professionals (teaching function); c) carrying forward scientific research (research function). This paper aims to contribute to the literature about communication’ methods of services provided and their relevance to users' needs of Italian university hospital – through the instrument of case studies.