In recent years, the term telemedicine has become familiar to doctors, patients, and healthcare organizations. But what exactly is telemedicine and how does it work?
Simply put, it refers to all medical and healthcare practices delivered remotely, leveraging digital technologies.
This approach does not replace traditional medicine, but complements and enhances it: thanks to telemedicine, a patient can receive specialist advice without having to travel, a doctor can remotely monitor the progress of a treatment, and a healthcare facility can optimize time and resources, reducing costs.
Telemedicine is therefore a fundamental component of digital healthcare: a model that puts the citizen at the center, improving the accessibility and efficiency of services. Its applications are numerous: from televisits for chronic conditions to teleconsultations with specialists between doctors in different locations, to home telecare for vulnerable individuals.
In Italy and around the world, the use of these technologies has grown rapidly, driven in part by the pandemic. Today, telemedicine is no longer just an emergency solution, but a structural strategy for addressing real problems: staff shortages, uneven access to care, excessively long waiting times, and the need to bring hospitals and communities closer together.
And it’s not just a matter of connecting via webcam: modern telemedicine systems offer integrated and secure platforms capable of managing digital documentation, electronic signatures, bookings, and even direct connection to dedicated workstations within hospitals or public spaces.
The Ministry defines it as follows: “Telemedicine is a method of providing healthcare services through the use of innovative technologies, particularly Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), in situations where the healthcare professional and the patient (or two professionals) are not in the same location.
Telemedicine involves the secure transmission of medical information and data in the form of text, sound, images, or other forms necessary for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and subsequent follow-up of patients.
Telemedicine services should be considered similar to any diagnostic/therapeutic healthcare service. However, telemedicine services do not replace traditional healthcare services in the personal doctor-patient relationship, but rather complement them to potentially improve effectiveness, efficiency, and appropriateness. Telemedicine must also comply with all the rights and obligations inherent in any healthcare practice.”
What is telemedicine?
Telemedicine is the set of healthcare practices performed remotely, using digital tools and secure audio-video communication platforms. It’s more than just a “video call with the doctor”: a modern telemedicine system is an integrated and secure platform capable of managing digital documentation, electronic signatures, bookings, and even direct connection to dedicated workstations within hospitals or public spaces.
The Guidelines for Telemedicine Services – Functional Requirements and Service Levels, published by the Italian Government on November 2, 2022, define the minimum services that every telemedicine system must provide. Specifically, the offering must include:
- Televisit, which allows the patient to interact remotely with the doctor through digital tools;
- Teleconsultation/teleconsultation, useful for the exchange of clinical opinions between healthcare professionals or between doctor and patient;
- Telemonitoring, for the continuous collection and analysis of clinical data remotely;
- Teleassistance, to support the patient in daily care activities.
Why it’s increasingly relevant
Telemedicine responds to several current challenges:
- Accessibility: It allows patients who live in remote areas or have limited transportation to receive specialized care.
- Reduction of waiting lists: Professionals can organize their schedules more efficiently, reducing access times.
- Continuity of care: Chronically ill patients can be monitored without the need for frequent hospital visits.
- Optimization of resources: Less travel, lower healthcare costs, and more time dedicated to patients.
Some significant data
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 80% of countries had introduced telemedicine programs by 2021, with a strong push due to the pandemic.
In Italy, the Agency for Digital Italy estimates that by 2026, more than 20% of primary healthcare services could be provided remotely.
A McKinsey study found that approximately 40% of patients would be willing to continue using telemedicine services even in the absence of health emergencies.
Technology and Future Prospects
Telemedicine isn’t just about speaking to a doctor via webcam. Technological evolution opens up increasingly interesting scenarios:
- Totems and dedicated workstations that enable secure connections with professionals.
- Sensors and wearables for remote monitoring of vital signs.
- Card readers, document acquisition systems, payment systems, and printers.
- Artificial intelligence for clinical data analysis and decision support.
- Integration with national and European healthcare platforms to ensure interoperability and security.
The future of healthcare will be increasingly hybrid: physical presence where needed, digital support where possible.
The Kiosk telemedicine system
This is where the Kiosk telemedicine system fits in, a solution that combines hardware and software in a single tool, designed to make digital healthcare truly accessible.
Kiosk Live, for example, is not a simple webcam connected to a PC, but telemedicine software integrated with a dedicated workstation that allows:
- immediate access to televisits and teleconsultations;
- sending, receiving, and signing digital documents;
- connection with specialists even in different or distant locations;
- use in hospitals, pharmacies, nursing homes, companies, and public spaces as a healthcare desk.
- integration with specific sensors and devices
Thanks to the Kiosk telemedicine system, geographical and organizational barriers are drastically reduced: patients have a clear and simple access point, while healthcare facilities can manage services remotely securely and efficiently.
With Kiosk Live, patients can communicate in real time with a counter operator, receive specialist advice, and send, receive, or sign digital documents.
It’s not just a phone call, but an interactive and secure audio-video connection, with the ability to manage complete processes as if they were physically at the counter.
Kiosk Live: a modular and flexible platform
Kiosk Live is a modular and intuitive solution, capable of simplifying and automating service processes in a single branch or across networks of locations distributed across the country. Everything is managed centrally, with the advantage of reducing staffing costs and optimizing human resources.
Thanks to its architecture, Kiosk Live allows you to:
- provide customers with immediate responses, connected to the first available and profiled operator;
- compensate for the lack of local offices or branches;
- strengthen existing branches with remote specialist consultancy, thanks to the virtual assistant service;
- integrate additional staff during peak periods, without having to physically relocate resources;
- activate new dedicated services even in the absence of an on-site operator.
Not just a webcam, but an integrated system
Kiosk Live is not a simple combination of PC and webcam, but a fully-fledged system designed for providing services in public spaces and complex organizations.
It can be integrated with the Kiosk Hydra booking and queue management platforms, or activated to respond to the instant needs of citizens and patients.
In hospitals, for example, it can become a department information desk, always available to provide information to visitors or facilitate contact with a remote specialist.
In public administrations and companies, however, it represents an immediate access point to consultations or services, even in remote or temporary locations, without the need for physically present staff.
Conclusion
Telemedicine is no longer a promise, but a reality that requires reliable platforms and integrated systems.
With solutions like the Kiosk telemedicine system, it’s possible to bring specialist advice anywhere, making healthcare more modern, efficient, and accessible to the patient.
 | Want to find out how to integrate Kiosk Live into your organization?The future of healthcare is already here. |
|
Want to find out how to integrate Kiosk Live in your organization?The future of healthcare is already here.
|