Present and future of telemedicine for pediatric care: an Italian regional experience

Abstract

Telemedicine has been recognized as an integral part of the National Health Service in Italy. Telemedicine can be adopted in the diagnostic therapeutic assistance pathway and in individual assistance plans. In the region of Lombardy, home care models from the perspective of the project of a public virtual hospital have been introduced. A regional operational center was proposed to ensure continuing care utilising organizational and technological solutions to deliver healthcare services remotely, with high quality standards, a positive economic impact and user friendly services for both the user and the professional. In the field of pediatrics telemedicine was also introduced at the Vittore Buzzi Children’ Hospital, in Milan, the capital of the region of Lombardy. These included routine pediatric hospital activities and innovative programs, such as early discharge, telecardiology, online supervised exercise training and preventive healthcare. Telehealth represents the evolution of health care delivery systems to adapt to new technology and the needs of the pediatric population, offering a strategic system to invest in children’s health.

Leveraging User-Friendly Mobile Medical Devices to Facilitate Early Hospital Discharges in a Pediatric Setting: A Randomized Trial Study Protocol

“…These populations, which have a high priority for health services and technological support systems, could greatly benefit from this approach to address their multiple health needs [ 8 ].…”

“…To fully harness the potential of telemedicine and remove the obstacles to its utilization, future research and initiatives are imperative. These should focus on enhancing the long-term satisfaction in using telemedicine and the cost-effectiveness of telemedicine services, ensuring unrestricted access to the internet, and establishing specific guidelines concerning data protection safety, informed consent, and professional liability [ 8 ].…”

“…Mobile technology is increasingly prevalent in healthcare [ 8 , 9 ], serving various purposes, including remote health monitoring and patient self-management, which could prove beneficial for early hospital discharges with significant psychosocial and economic impacts.…”

Healthcare professional and manager perceptions on drivers, benefits, and challenges of telemedicine: results from a cross-sectional survey in the Italian NHS

“…The highly rapid progress of technology, as well as the ongoing evolution of European cybersecurity rules, make defining a suitably complete regulatory scenario difficult [ 144 ]. The applicable legal regulations for telemedicine are still insufficient, and the current ones are unclear; there are no consistent regulations at the European level for healthcare and the practise of medicine [ 145 ]. As a result, the use of this instrument in public services remains a challenge.…”