Regions Against Covid-19 #7 – Apulia puts in place high-level and smart healthcare solutions to manage the pandemic

 Apulia (IT) has put in place multi-level approaches to deal with the current pandemic. The region works with high-level and smart digital healthcare solutions based on epidemiological surveillance and epidemiology for assistance. This article will outline four of those intelligent solutions:

 WebApp “HCasa – Covid-19 management system”.

Apulia is working with an online application called HCase. This application is created by Dedalus Healthcare System Group and is tested at the Bari Polyclinic with the technical and scientific coordination of AReSS Puglia.

 The web app allows citizens to self-diagnose by filling out a questionnaire and enables contact between a general practitioner and the patient for further contact via phone. In the first phase, the application aims to help people from risk groups (e.g. patients with rare diseases or cancer) but the practice will soon be expanded to the entire population from Apulia. The tool is based on dual level assistance:

1. Web application for citizen use: Citizens first fill out personal health data in a questionnaire as part of the self-diagnosis step. After, the individual is matched to a doctor who, if necessary, will contact the patient to perform a telephone pre-triage;
2. Web portal for health professionals: This platform allows health professionals to analyse and categorise the data and symptoms of the patient. Specialised support is provided to the patient via tests and medication and, consequently, patients will be placed under telemonitoring. This aspect, in addition to allowing continuous monitoring of the disease with the help of medical measuring devices (e.g. saturators, electrocardiogram and pulse oximeters), enables discussion between professionals on the specific case and the prompt movement of the patient in Covid facilities.

InTouch Litè

The Bari Polyclinic has purchased two robotic devices dedicated to telemedicine equipped with a system of high-resolution cameras and private medical-patient communication system (‘Intouch Lite’). This system allows medical staff to establish online consults and remote visits on patients admitted into intensive, sub-intensive and isolation wards. The two machines will be used in the emergency room and in the department of infectious diseases to ensure virtual access for specialists.

Gatekeeper

Gatekeeper is a multi-centric large scale project that connects the elderly (and their communities) to healthcare providers and businesses aimed at ensuring healthier independent lives for the elderly. The pilot employs existing digital healthcare solutions. The project is under development and aims, also, to mitigate the risks related to the aggregation of people in places of care, which have proved particularly critical.

The Covid-19 Puglia Observatory

The Covid-19 Observatory is an information platform hosted on the institutional portal of Apulia. The platform aims to disseminate data and epidemiological analyses developed by AReSS Puglia. The website is structured according to five main sections:

1. The epidemical curve;
2. Case studies;
3. Surveillance indicators;
4. Thematic insights;
5. Trends by province.

The data on the website is illustrated via clear (interactive) graphics and proves to be easy accessible and comprehensible.