Since the beginning of June, telemedicine testing has been active in Umbria for all citizens who need electrocardiograms, Holter pressure tests, dynamic Holter ECG and spirometry tests, who will be able to carry it out in one of the over 150 participating public and private pharmacies. The Region explained that it will be the general practitioner or pediatrician of free choice who will evaluate the need for the tests and will propose to patients of all ages, regardless of whether or not they have a specific ticket exemption, that they be carried out in the pharmacy.
There are multiple objectives of the experiment, first of all that of bringing health services ever closer to the citizen’s home, by moving diagnostic tests instead of people thanks to the use of telemedicine technologies. Furthermore, this initiative presents itself as an action deemed capable of contributing to the reduction of waiting lists, by virtue of the expansion of the number of citizens who can benefit from it, i.e. all those with a request from their doctor and not only with specific exemption, as happened previously.
Since the beginning of the year, in the previous phase of the trial reserved for patients with specific exemption, the electrocardiogram performed via telemedicine has proven particularly useful – explains the Region -, allowing numerous reports by pharmacists of cases of fibrillation and necessary medical monitoring, but also the immediate intervention in three cases of ongoing heart attacks, reported to the 118 call center, with the patient being transferred to hospital.
In detail, the telemedicine procedure envisaged by the resolution of the Regional Council number 498 of 29 May includes the following steps: the general practitioner or pediatrician of free choice proposes suitable patients to carry out the examination directly in the pharmacy; the citizen goes to the pharmacy with the medical prescription, both paper and dematerialized, on which the type of test to be performed is indicated; the pharmacist explains the necessary information to the patient, acquires informed consent and the medical prescription, in compliance with the legislation on privacy and management of personal data; the pharmacist makes an appointment for the performance of the service; once the test has been carried out, the report, drawn up by accredited structures, based on the citizen’s request, will be delivered directly in a sealed envelope or electronically to the address communicated by the patient himself. With the citizen’s consent, the pharmacy can send the report to the treating doctor.
The list of participating pharmacies can be consulted at the link www.umbria.federfarma.it/Home/Servizi-al-cittadino/Campagna-test ing-test-rapidi-antigenici.aspx.
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