In the experimental phase, the first month already marks important numbers especially in the more internal areas of the region
These are positive numbers that emerge from the examination of the first month of testing of the ‘service pharmacy’ which in Basilicata sees 130 pharmacies participating in both provinces. The results come from the 75 facilities where services relating to cardiac and blood pressure holter, electrocardiogram and spirometry were requested, the total numbers of which stood at 350 services. Between 
of them, the one that has had the greatest impact on the rise in numbers is that relating to electrocardiograms which require shorter execution times and results almost in real time thanks to the collaboration of cardiologists connected remotely for reporting. Also on the lowest step of the podium are cardiac holters which, over a period of 24 hours a day, records the electrical activity of the heart allowing the detection of any cardiac arrhythmias. The President of Federfarma Basilicata Antonio Guerricchio, examining the first experimental data, underlines how “the service is giving the desired results especially in those more internal areas from which it is difficult to reach the large centers to undergo this type of examination and above all for those groups of those over sixty-five or those with pathologies who need constant monitoring. We have always maintained that these services are useful not only for reducing waiting lists but above all for ensuring that the health service meets the needs of the population, especially in those areas where the pharmacy represents the only local health facility. ”. In this experimental phase, patients with a pathology that requires the performance of one of the four specific tests can access the free services of the service pharmacies, including a dematerialized form from the general practitioner. The reports are carried out by cardiologist specialists, or pulmonologists for what concerns spirometry, who operate through ‘telemedicine’ providers, guaranteeing the user a rapid result delivered directly to the pharmacy where the test was carried out.
For the President of Federfarma Potenza Carlo Claps, “the investments made by pharmacies to adapt their spaces to the new services are repaid in terms of utility towards the users who are guaranteed services for which the waiting times in public structures are quite dilated while on the other hand it is necessary to guarantee rapid monitoring to safeguard the health and life of the patient. In full compliance with Ministerial Decree 77/2022, the Lucanian pharmacies act as a true outpost of the national and regional Health Service, contributing to the development of local assistance which is recognized as having a fundamental role in assisting the citizen user in a widespread way, as the pharmacies present in every municipality and representing a widespread system of assistance”. With the combination of pharmacies and telemedicine, better integration with the national healthcare system is guaranteed, contributing to a more coordinated management of care shared with general practitioners and specialists. Which is why – adds Claps – “the success of the pharmacy services and telemedicine also depends on the continuous training of staff which allows pharmacists to acquire skills in the digital and telemedical field which are added to the knowledge in pharmacology and health consultancy. All these factors put together allow pharmacies to significantly improve access to care and patients’ life expectancies.”
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