Telemedicine is growing at the Asl in Frosinone, a reality for more than 20 operating units. Let’s take stock of the situation with the company’s head of digital transformation, Dr. Sergio Pillon.
How is our ASL for telemedicine moving?
Televisits are now a reality for more than 20 operating units, home telereferencing is active, cardiological telereferencing is a useful tool for reducing waiting lists for electrocardiograms.
Not only the company operating units but also the outpatient specialists in the districts are activating teleview paths, for example for Cardiology, Dermatology, Neurology, Psychiatry, Gynecology and Obstetrics
The Local Health Authority is working to perfect the organization of the service, through the improvement of the internet network everywhere in the territory, the implementation of the infrastructure that is fundamental to raise the quality level of the new frontier of medicine.
Are there any particularly meaningful experiences to recount?
Telemedicine, carried out by the UOSD of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases of the Hospital of Frosinone, has changed the approach to diabetes management for many patients, in particular, for those who use advanced technologies applied to the pathology and for women who are pregnant.
It is a special moment for the woman, for the baby that is about to be born, and for the whole family. Knowing that you can perform diabetic televisits while staying at home is very reassuring, it allows the future mother to observe rest and maintain the high frequency of the required checks, without forcing her to travel repeatedly. In addition, diabetological televisitis allows, in the postpartum period, to carry out checks in harmony with the puerperium and breastfeeding, for the benefit of the health and well-being of both the mother and the newborn.
It is nice to be able to tell success stories as in the case of a 38-year-old woman who lives 80 km from the Hospital of Frosinone, in therapy with the pump, who tells us that she had problems due to a malfunction of the instrument. Thanks to telemedicine, she was immediately taken in charge by the diabetology team, the therapy was replaced and the replacement of the device was activated. Unfortunately, in cases like this, a non-timely intervention leads, not infrequently, to patient access to the emergency room for hyperglycemia.
The new frontier of endocrinological and diabetological visits in telemedicine is allowing a 56-year-old woman who lives far from the Hospital of Frosinone to carry out post-surgical endocrinological checks, without burdening her and her caregivers with long journeys and ensuring frequent endocrinological checks in the postoperative period.
In addition to diabetes, are there other specific success experiences of our ASL?
Thanks to Vulnological Teledermatology, it was possible to assist a patient who had just undergone surgery. Thelatter found that the pressure therapy machine he had at home did not work, exposing the injury to serious infectious risks. With telemonitoring it was possible to intercept the problem at home, intervening remotely with targeted advice able to restore therapy, thus avoiding the need for further urgent access to the hospital.
A pathway for screening in the general practitioner’s office of lesions suspected for skin neoplasia such as melanomas is beginning. The patient directly in the clinic of their GP, reports the suspicious lesion, the doctor photographs it with a dermoscope connected to their smartphone and inserts the image into the company system together with the patient’s information. The dermatologist, within a few hours, evaluates the image and defines the degree of risk. If the risk of a neoplastic disease is high, make the appointment directly in a few days, if the risk is low, the patient is invited to book at the cup.
Is anything advancing in the cardiology area as well?
To reduce the waiting lists for the execution of electrocardiograms, ECG referral paths were activated in the Health Houses. The patient, by appointment, goes to the clinic where a nurse acquires the electrocardiogram with a platform dedicated to telemedicine. The electrocardiogram is made available to the asl cardiologists for reporting which is performed remotely in the following 24 hours. The report is sent to the patient or can be collected at the Health House. If necessary, the nurse requests a teleconsultation with the cardiologist and the patient interacts telemedically with the cardiologist for any further information or the booking of an in-person visit.
In conclusion, how is telemedicine progressing in our ASL?
These that I have told are just a few virtuous examples, I hope that the many colleagues I have not mentioned will not take it, because space is tyrannical, but our ASL is becoming an example for all of Lazio for the development of telemedicine.
