Traceability and management of medicines and medical devices at home: The crucial role of the digital support

Abstract

The continuous growth of the healthcare sector is followed by a corresponding demand to reduce costs and to improve the quality of its management processes. One way to meet these requirements is to leverage on a better management and traceability of medicines and medical devices through ICT, not only at the hospital but also at the patient's home. The project "LIFEMED - Integrated Logistic of Medicines and Medical Devices", aims, indeed, at the realization of an innovative digital model for medicines and medical devices logistic management. In particular, for the management and the traceability of medicines and medical devices at home, the solution will be characterized by a telemedicine platform together with a traceability platform based on RFId and barcode labels and readers. The telemedicine and traceability platforms will allow for a better monitoring of respectively the patient's correct medicine administration and the medicines and medical devices logistic, as demonstrated by the example of the peritoneal dialysis, a domiciliary treatment addressed in the project. Despite all the advantages, attention must be paid during the platform design in considering crucial factors like digital illiteracy of older people and the privacy, legal and ethical issues.