From spirometry to ECGs, here’s telemedicine in pharmacies

Holter blood pressure and heart rate monitoring, electrocardiograms, spirometry, remote care, treatment adherence monitoring, teleconsultations. And so on and so forth. Telemedicine, with all the services that can now be safely provided to the public – and which help bridge the distance, particularly in rural and remote areas – is finally making its way into pharmacies. Here, staff will need to be properly trained to provide users with basic diagnostic tools and advice.

Another building block in the ‘pharmacy of services’: that model which, following a lengthy trial period (launched under Decree Law 153/2009), officially came into full effect with the 2026 Budget Act, bolstered further by the reorganisation of local healthcare services which fully integrates these facilities into the community care network. An approach dictated and funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) – which is, in fact, still being implemented – and which has assigned to the Agency for Regional Health Services (Agenas), amongst others, the task of designing, managing and coordinating the National Telemedicine Platform. This role also encompasses the agreement with Federfarma, from which the document setting out the ‘Guidelines for the provision of telemedicine services in contracted pharmacies’ was derived. This is a detailed but non-binding guide which will be adapted in each region in accordance with supplementary agreements; nevertheless, it serves as a compass for fine-tuning the care to be provided to citizens and patients, particularly those who are frail or suffering from chronic conditions.

The services provided include, in particular: telemedicine consultations (enabling comprehensive remote medical consultations whilst maintaining the same quality as face-to-face appointments); telemonitoring/telecontrol (enabling the monitoring of health parameters for both less complex cases and patients requiring more specialised care), through the use of certified medical devices such as ECGs, blood pressure Holter monitors, cardiac Holter monitors and spirometry; teleconsultation (facilitates collaboration between healthcare professionals, allowing doctors to discuss clinical cases in order to provide the best possible care); tele-assistance (provides ongoing support to patients, particularly useful for those requiring constant care).

For each of these services, the pharmacy can play both a supportive role for members of the public and patients and a technical and logistical role, by providing dedicated spaces and, where applicable, telemedicine stations set up using funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).

Participation by pharmacies under the national scheme is on a voluntary basis and, pending an update to the national tariff schedule that fully incorporates telemedicine services provided in pharmacies, fees and payment arrangements are determined at regional level, within the framework of supplementary regional agreements entered into with pharmacy representatives, in accordance with the remuneration criteria set out for diagnostic and telemedicine services within the ACN.