Is ICT innovating doctor-young patient relationships in chronic diseases? Two case studies before e during the pandemic

Purpose. The paper aims to under- stand if digital healthcare can improve young and chronic patient engage- ment. The interpretation follows the doctor-patient relationship, investigat- ing whether telemedicine fosters patients’ engagement and, if they are young, also of their caregivers. Methodology. The study analyses two Italian digital healthcare cases. A questionnaire and semi-structured interviews are administered to detect information on the new telemedicine service’s satisfaction, utility, and usability.
Context. The study shows that e-health can answer the widespread need for well-being without space and time limits, before and during the pan- demic, especially in Italy. It allows the humanization of a technology-driven system, which requires strong patient and community engagement to be built simultaneously.
* Stefania Mele, stefania.mele@unitelmasapienza.it. Sabrina Bonomi, sabrina.bonomi@uniecampus.it. Gaia Cinotti, g.cinotti@studenti.unitelmasapienza.it.
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Main findings. E-health can be a tool to improve the doctor-patient rela- tionship and create a sense of commu- nity among patients. Moreover, patient engagement in a technolo- gy-driven healthcare environment is necessary to implement new treat- ments successfully.
Conclusion. We tested new digital healthcare services unique in Italy to understand the point of view of young and chronicle patients and their care- givers to contribute to a bottom-up harmonization process of e-health.