The Functional Unit of Benign Esophagus-gastric Pathology of HSP is an organizational entity for specialized multidisciplinary care of patients with benign esophageal-gastric pathology (including gastroesophageal reflux disease, motor disorders, and peptic disease, among others). It integrates into a coordinated team the professionals involved in the decision-making on the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of these patients. The unit is a tool for helping clinical decision making, reducing decision difficulties, avoiding duplicity of evidence, shortening the time between tests and treatments; in short, improving the quality of care.

In recent years there have been very significant advances in the diagnosis and treatment of esophageal motor disorders and, above all, achalasia. And being a pioneering center in handling these pathologies using the POEM technique has made our unity a national benchmark in its endoscopic handling.

Main objective

Offering excellent care to patients with benign esophageal-gastric pathology who require medical, endoscopic and/or surgical treatment, as well as capitalizing in the teaching and research fields all the rewards derived.

Specific objectives

• Simplifying the organization of attention.
• Improving health care circuits.
• Optimizing the common therapeutic strategy.
• Facilitating fluidity in the introduction of possible improvements in the circuit
• Encouraging adherence to clinical practice guidelines, reducing unnecessary clinical variability.
• Favoring expert knowledge, training and teaching by both practitioners and specialists in training and undergraduate students.
• Promoting and facilitating research.
• Having systematic information about the activity carried out, in order to analyze it and establish the appropriate improvements.

Composition

UFPEGB (as per its acronym in Catalan) is a transversal unit formed by professionals of the main services that intervene in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with this pathology.

The team is made up of:

• Consultant physicians in digestive pathology
• Consultant physicians in General and digestive surgery
• Consultant physicians in Radiology
• Nursing

Physicians and nurses combine their activity in the service they belong to with that they perform at the UFPEGB, so that each service designates the professionals who work in this environment, concentrating the activity in specific people, in order to guarantee expert knowledge at the same time as continuity within the team.

Committee members (in alphabetical order):

• General and digestive Surgery:
  • Dr Sonia Fernández Ananín
  • Dr Noelia Pérez
  • Dr. Eduard Targarona
• Digestive pathology:
  • Dr. Federico Bertoletti
  • Dr. Carlos González Muñoza
  • Dr. Carlos Guarner Argenté
  • Dr. Marianette C. Murzi
• Diagnostic imaging:
  • Dr. Diana Hernández