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Professionalism, commitment and research by professionals on the Campus are the key elements in offering patients excellent care.
We are committed to research as a tool to provide solutions to the daily challenges we face in the field of medical healthcare.
We generate, transform and transmit knowledge in all areas of the health sciences, helping to train the professionals of the future.
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The Digestive System Department caters for patients with digestive diseases with an emphasis on technical and human excellence.
The mission of our Department is to improve the quality of life of patients with digestive diseases, through the development of knowledge (research), and the transmission of knowledge and values (training).
The activity of the Department includes:
Hospitalisation Ward: this offers care services to the population in the surrounding SAP Mountain area and serves as a reference unit in Catalonia for the referral of patients with hard-to-diagnose/treat patients from hospitals in the Barcelona province (Mollet Hospital, Granollers Hospital, Calella Hospital, San Rafael Hospital, Vic General Hospital) or from level three hospitals from other parts of Catalonia (such as Arnau de Vilanova Hospital, in Lleida, or Josep Trueta Hospital, in Girona). It has 24 beds for hospitalisation for patients admitted with digestive diseases.
Outpatient Clinic: care and follow-up of the most complex outpatients from each area, from Monday to Friday.
Accident and Emergency: care by a Digestive System specialist available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Crohn’s Colitis Unit: provides social healthcare and control of patients with inflammatory bowel disease, both face-to-face and digitally. It is part of a comprehensive care plan for patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, with a particular focus on the changes they may undergo biologically, psychologically and socially. Its role as coordinating centre of the National Network of Crohn’s Colitis Care Units is directed by two medical specialists, a nurse and a research coordinator.
Motility Unit: helps patients with digestive disorders via a functional hospitalisation unit and the Functional Test Laboratory, where diagnostic tests and treatments are performed for patients with digestive conditions. This Unit enjoys a high level of national and international prestige and conducts studies of intestinal function both in terms of motility and malabsorption. This unit is part of the European Centre for Gastrointestinal Motility.
Bleed Unit: this Unit deals with patients with severe digestive haemorrhaging and has 4 semi critical beds for the treatment and diagnosis of acute (high, low or hidden) digestive bleeding. Admission is indicated in cases of severe digestive haemorrhage requiring continuous monitoring and which may therefore not be treated on a conventional ward. Direct patient care is the responsibility of the medical staff assigned to the Bleed Unit and they coordinate the participation of the rest of the team necessary who come from the following units: Digestive Endoscopy Unit, Anaesthesia Department, A&E Department, Surgery Department, Diagnostic Imaging Unit and Interventional Angioradiology Unit.
The Pancreatic Unit: addresses a high number of patients with acute pancreatitis, recurrent pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis (200 patients), as well as patients with adult cystic fibrosis (160 patients) and patients suffering from pancreatic cystic lesions.
The Digestive System Department’s teaching activity includes a degree at the UAB and the training of specialists in the Digestive System as part of the medical residents programme. The Department also participates in continuing education programmes for internal and external residents from the European Training Centre of the European Board of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
The Digestive System Department carries out significant research as part of the Physiology and Digestive Physiopathology Research Group of the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, and as part of the Gastrointestinal Inflammation and Neurogastroenterology Division of CIBERehd. We are also recognised by the Catalan Government’s AGAUR programme.
Care by a Digestive System specialist is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Since its creation, our Department has enjoyed significant quantitative and qualitative growth in the areas of patient care, teaching and research. Cancer is an increasingly common illness; we offer high-quality care linked to clinical and translational research, applying the knowledge of basic research to the prevention and treatment of clinical cases. This means we can see patients from outside our catchment area who can participate in clinical trials. We are a reference centre in all areas of clinical oncology.
These diseases are complex to diagnose and treat, making a multidisciplinary approach essential. That is why our Department works to incorporate a range of professional techniques and contributions to tackle all aspects of care and integrate them into the care process. This means we can improve the care process and ensure quality. Examples of this are our genetic counselling and high-risk illness prevention clinics.
In accordance with the analysis and forecasts included in the latest version of the Catalan Health Plan and the Oncology Master Plan, we must bring forward priority actions in the field of oncological disease in Catalonia. Vall d'Hebron University Hospital is especially equipped to offer a comprehensive Oncology Care Plan, with different services all working in coordination. This is possible thanks to our specialised departments such as Medical Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Clinical Haematology, surgical specialties, medical specialties, Pathological Anatomy, Image Diagnostics and Primary Care. Our professional expertise and ability to work in collaboration are the key to fulfilling this mission.
This is why care for people suffering from oncology is structured into processes in place for all operations, with appropriate timing based on a holistic vision of the care process. At our Department, we incorporate everything these patients need in terms of prevention, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up.
We base this oncological care on three central pillars: our staff, equipment and clinical research. On the one hand, we guarantee the excellence of our staff through internal training programmes in the field of hospital care, as well as establishing collaboration and training exchanges with other renowned, prestigious centres. On the other hand, we offer the latest equipment and carry out clinical, translational and basic research.
We are working to incorporate primary care into the network of oncology treatment at the Hospital, as we believe holistic care in oncology requires incorporation and coordination of all the different healthcare areas involved in treating patients.
As mentioned previously, research is one of the key pillars of our Department, and we are present at the most prestigious international forums where future research and oncological care are discussed. We participate in Cancer Core Europe, the largest cancer platform in Europe, where our Department is one of just seven European departments present.
We have a biomedical research centre made up of scientists and doctors who work together to link basic science with clinical research: the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO). Our main purpose is to promote and develop excellence in research into oncological diseases.
The VHIO also works to increase our contribution to the development of new therapies that improve the treatment of cancer. Its goals also include modelling scientific practices in the clinic for the benefit of oncology patients, excellence in scientific research in the fields of basic, translational and clinical research, and scientific cooperation between national and international cancer research institutions. By promoting all activities related to cancer research, we contribute to improving the quality of life of our patients.
The complexity of the diagnoses and treatments performed by the Medical Oncology Department requires working in multidisciplinary teams of specialists, with the aim of providing an integrated approach from diagnosis to the end of treatment. For this same reason, we work in expert cancer-specific committees and assess each case as a team to determine the appropriate treatment for each person. If you train with us, you will be working with highly qualified professionals and the latest generation technology. Training is backed up by our own training programmes and through collaboration with centres of recognised quality and prestige.
Medical Oncology training itinerary
The core of this teaching unit is provided by the Medical Oncology Department, with participation from Haematology, Internal Medicine, Radiation Oncology, Radiology, Pathological Anatomy, Infectious Diseases and Palliative Care, the Intensive Care Unit and the A&E Department. The Unit can accommodate three residents per year. Residents’ training in Medical Oncology takes five years in total. The two first years are spent on core training, with the following three years dedicated specifically to specialisation.
Residents in medical oncology are expected to have in-depth knowledge of preventative, diagnostic and therapeutic choices for cancer. For this reason it is important that they continuously update their knowledge of cancer biology. To this end, they must take part in research projects that promote excellence in research. They will also have the opportunity to become familiar with the main lines of research in the Department and to take part in some of them. Over the course of training, residents learn to have a critical and open approach to the high volume of clinical studies and advances in the specialisation, whilst always keeping ethical considerations at the forefront of their work.
Why do your residency at Vall d’Hebron?
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