The use of telemedicine in Italian Blood Banks: a nationwide survey

Abstract

Background: Telemedicine is defined as the use of electronic information and communication technologies to provide health care between distant people. Many activities in transfusion medicine could benefit from the application of telemedicine. To map the spread of the use of telemedicine in transfusion medicine in Italy, the Italian Society of Transfusion Medicine and Immunohaematology (SIMTI) performed a nationwide survey: the results are presented in this paper.

Materials and methods: A survey, dealing with different aspects of the use of telemedicine, was performed by sending a questionnaire to 280 Italian Blood Centres. The survey was designed to evaluate the diffusion of telemedicine and the features of the systems, with special attention to the systems' safety and legal adequacy. One section of the questionnaire was designed to identify the features of the systems considered essential by the respondents.

Results: Out of 280 Blood Services contacted, 196 (70%) filled in at least one of the questions of the online questionnaire. Globally the use of some form of telemedicine was reported by 70% of the respondents. Telemedicine is used for remote validation of laboratory tests by 32% of the Centres that responded, for remote biological validation of blood units by 34% and for assignment of blood components by 29%. Less frequently, telemedicine is used to control electronic refrigerators, for electronic blood requests and for bed-side identification of patients.

Discussion: The use of telemedicine is widespread in Italian Blood Services. There appears to be some heterogeneity between structures with regards to the evaluation of the systems' safety and their legal adequacy. No telemedicine system should be introduced into practice until it has proven to have the same standards of safety as the corresponding "on site" activity.

Figure 1

Geographic distribution of telemedicine use in Italy.