Telemedicine in the pharmacy in Lazio: ECG, blood pressure and cardiac holter within everyone's reach

Ecg, blood pressure and cardiac holter. Starting next week in Lazio it will be possible to do these tests prescribed by the doctor at the expense of the National Health Service in a pharmacy and obtain the telereporting done by a white coat of the National Health System. After the approval, yesterday by the Regional Council, of the resolution on the timetable for the testing of telemedicine services - which contains the implementation protocol of the pharmacy of the services in question - next Tuesday the provision will be published in Burl and will become operational.

The protocol - signed by the head of the Regional Directorate of Health and Social Health Integration, Andrea Urbani, by Eugenio Leopardi, president of Federfarma Lazio represented by the coordinator of Assofarm, Enrico Cellentani - aims, thanks to the widespread presence of pharmacies throughout the territory, to "contribute to decongesting access to affiliated health facilities", as stated in the protocol viewed by Adnkronos Salute. The project, aimed at all citizens of Lazio, provides for "the maintenance and provision to users, by the participating pharmacies, of their own equipment for performing a set number of ECG, blood pressure and cardiac Holter tests".

Participating pharmacies sign a supply contract with a telereporting service (provider), in "compliance with the legal platform and according to the requirements" specified in the regulations. "The owner pharmacist or the responsible director of the pharmacy is responsible for the inaccuracy of the analytical results, if this is due to deficiencies in the installation and maintenance of the equipment used", specifies the protocol. The tests can be performed on prescription from the family doctor, the pediatrician of free choice or a cardiologist. Among the necessary requirements is the presence of dedicated and separate spaces in the pharmacies that can perform the tests even outside of opening hours. Specific training is also required for participating pharmacists who will have to follow a FAD course while the certified reporting of telemedicine services must be carried out by doctors belonging to the National Health Service.

"Finally, pharmacies in Lazio will also be able to provide approximately 45,000 services and achieve concrete results such as Calabria, which provided 50,000 services in pharmacies in 2024 alone, and Puglia, where, in less than a month, 4,500 citizens have used the new services. Now, even in the Capital, we will be able to do our part and contribute to reducing waiting lists", says Andrea Cicconetti , President of Federfarma Roma. "We thank President Rocca - says Eugenio Leopardi , President of Federfarma Lazio - for recognizing the importance of pharmacies, which represent more than 1,700 access points to the NHS, where you enter without knocking. I am sure that my colleagues will be able to make people appreciate, with their professionalism, the importance of being able to use the pharmacy network, present even in the most remote municipalities"