On December 17, 2020, in consideration of the COVID-19 emergency, the Italian Permanent Conference for relations between the State, the Regions and the Autonomous Provinces of Trento and Bolzano published a document containing the “National Indications for the provision of telemedicine services“. Back in 2014 the Conference had already approved the National Guidelines (rep. acts n. 16/CSR), but the current pandemic has made urgent a renewal of the National Health System, in particular for “territorial” assistance, providing an opportunity to promote digital health services in order to reduce potential occasions for infections.
In fact, during the first phase of the emergency, medical exams and checkups in-person were suspended, reducing drastically the assistance to patients suffering from chronic diseases; in addiction, the subsequent restart of said services has required the appropriate application of organizational and logistical limits that have led to the reduction of the available spaces and the necessity to increase the procedures of sanitization.
In this scenario, telemedicine can ensure the maximum continuity of care with the minimum risk of spreading the virus to patients, professionals and family members, granting remote assistance and providing treatment through digital devices.
Leonardo De Vecchi and Valentina Brovedani explore the subject in a new alert.
