A New Approach for Changes in Health Care

We are facing significant changes in healthcare. Its role is extending from treatment to prevention and remote patient monitoring and up to health maintenance through fitness, weight management and in general healthier lifestyle. Healthcare is enlarging its scope beyond the patient domain and is including the support to people with special needs such as elderly and disabled for an independent living. Healthcare is extending its “institutional” role and it is becoming personal, ubiquitous and mobile. Informal caregivers (patient’s family, friends, volunteers) are complementing the tasks of the medical professionals. All the citizens are becoming the users of the new healthcare services and will be motivated and empowered to manage their own health. This transition from a “clinical-centric” to a “patient-centric” approach is attracting the attention of the industry and telemedicine will play an important role in this new scenario. Unfortunately the implementation of new approaches in healthcare is hampered by various challenges and restraints; they deal with technological issues and lack of standardization but also – and in some case preponderantly – with political, legal and cultural issues. In this paper we intend to analyze these barriers and suggest some guidelines for a successful introduction of new telemedicine services and for the effective exploitation of personal and at home healthcare solutions.