Opinions on the Italian national health care after the COVID crisis 2020
Give telemedicine a chance
During the COVID-19 emergency in Italy, many patients in need of care and consulting could not access health services the way they used to in the past. For this reason, the interest in telemedicine to treat patients increased among physicians and General Practitioners (GPs). According to a survey conducted in June 2020, the share of physicians interested in carrying out tele-examinations in the future reached 34 percent. General Practitioners (GPs) shared the same interest in the use of telemedicine. According to the same survey, the share of GPs interested in carrying out tele-examinations in the future reached 54 percent.
COVID-19 effect on telemedicine
The coronavirus emergency appears to have helped change the attitude towards telemedicine. In general, the restrictions and lockdown implemented exposed the increasing need to use digital tools to communicate with patients, both for GPs and medical specialists. Surveys also showed that for some medical examinations and/or consultations an in-person appointment is not always necessary. This opinion was also shared by both GPs and medical specialists.