Abstract
Telemedicine services, with the collection and sharing of patient clinical data, have gone from an emergency response during the pandemic to an essential structural investment for the Italian health system. Telemedicine is a part of the main digital transformation process in healthcare and is establishing itself as a key technological tool to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the system. Indeed, it can make the difference in each phase of healthcare, from prevention to access to care, up to the real patient care, helping to shift the center of gravity of the Italian healthcare system moving from the centralized care in the hospitals to home healthcare. Through a literature review, an overview of the telemedicine in the Italian context is proposed, discussing the factors that facilitate its development, the main barriers to its implementation, and the future prospects of these digital tools that are useful to support the National Healthcare System.
TopBackground
In the last decades, most economic sectors have embraced digital disruption as factor to consider in the corporate assets, not just as a tool for fighting competition, but also as an asset for survival. If compared to the few experiences that highlight the effects of the digital revolution - that certainly represent best practices in this sector – the healthcare sector lags.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Electronic Health Record: Electronic set of information on a patient’s medical history, demographics, hospital admissions, surgical interventions carried out, laboratory data and other important clinical information.
Recovery and Resilience Plan: Plan that each European State had to submit to the European Commission in which the reforms and investments that the State will implement using the European extraordinary fund by end of 2026 are set out.
Taxonomy: Scheme of classification, used to organize and index complex issues as, for example, the knowledge on the telemedicine.
Digital Literacy: Skills needed to live in a society where communication and access to information is increasingly through digital technologies like internet platforms, social media, and mobile devices.
Essential Levels of Care (LEA): Set of services to be guaranteed by the public sector are defined at a national level, while regions are accountable for their provision.
E-Health: Encompasses in a broader sense the use of information and communication technologies supporting the entire range of functions and operational processes that affect the healthcare sector.
Digital Device: Wearable equipped devices with sensors and digital biomarkers that allow for digital transmission and collection of data that can be extremely useful for diagnosing a medical problem.