Artificial intelligence and digital medicine for integrated home care services in Italy: Opportunities and limits

Abstract

Home healthcare in the Italian health system has proven to be an essential factor in adequately responding to the health needs of an increasingly aging population. The opportunities offered by digitization and new technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, are a lever for making home care services more effective and efficient on the one hand, and on the other for improving remote patient monitoring. Telemedicine devices have enormous potential for telemonitoring and telerehabilitation of patients suffering from chronic disabling diseases; in particular, AI systems can now provide very useful managerial and decision-making support in numerous clinical areas. AI combined with digitalization, could also allow for the remote monitoring of patients' health conditions. In this paper authors describe some digital and healthcare tools or system of AI, such as the Connected Care model, the Home Care Premium (HCP) project, The Resilia App and some professional service robotics. In this context, to optimize potential and concrete healthcare improvements, some limits need to be overcome: gaps in health information systems and digital tools at all levels of the Italian National Health Service, the slow dissemination of the computerized medical record, issues of digital literacy, the high cost of devices, the poor protection of data privacy. The danger of over-reliance on such systems should also be examined. Therefore the legal systems of the various countries, including Italy, should indicate clear decision-making paths for the patient.