L’osteoporosis it is an extremely common pathology in our country: the data show that it is affected by this disorder 1 in 3 women over 50 e 1 in 8 men over 60 years old. However, less than 50% of these patients is actually being treated. Osteoporosis, in fact, is a silent disease, which in many cases is diagnosed only following a fracture event, the ultimate complication of chronic disease.
Furthermore, patients often suspend anti-osteoporotic therapy or do not practice it on a regular basis: the treatment, therefore, is not satisfactory and does not allow to adequately prevent fractures.
Precisely in response to these clinical difficulties the Teliot projectfunded by the Cariplo Foundation with the partnership of Humanitas, Bocconi University and Milan Polytechnic, is aimed at evaluating and deepening the use of telemedicine and telemedicine enhanced by digital solutions such as apps for the treatment of osteoporosis.
The use of telemedicine to overcome the therapeutic gap
“We have some valuable tools in the fight against osteoporosis, such as regional networks for the prevention of osteoporosis that allow patients to access specific clinics for the disease. They can also be prescribed medications particularly effective, which are reimbursed by the National Health System and which should allow the patient easy access to osteoporosis treatment. But the problem still persists therapeutic gaptherefore of those patients who they are not treated or that stop the therapies.
On the other hand, not only the patient’s access to the referral center is essential, but also his monitoring, especially in moles first moments of treatment, when the side effects of the drugs can occur, or if the patient has doubts and perplexities to resolve. In these cases it can be of great use to restore the relationship between doctor and patient remote contact”, Explains Professor Gherardo MazziottiHead of the Research, Diagnosis and Treatment of Osteometabolic Diseases Section in Humanitas and Professor of Endocrinology at Humanitas University.
“The telemedicine is a tool that has already demonstrated its effectiveness and now it is necessary to take a further step: measure this effectiveness and allow the patient toaccess on requestthus making possible not only the predefined accesses from the outpatient planning established at the beginning of the treatment program but also guaranteeing communication with the referring physician whenever it may be necessary.
Il Teliot project allows the evaluation of effectiveness of telemedicine in anti-osteoporotic treatment and the use of aapp to allow the request for further teleconsultations ”, continues Professor Mazziotti.
The Teliot project
“The Teliot project prospectively assesses the impact on adherence to anti-osteoporotic therapy of a outpatient access via telemedicine or via an app that allows patients to request teleconsultations according to different timelines than those planned ”, explains Professor Amelia Compagni, coordinator of the Teliot Project and professor at the Department of Political and Social Sciences and Research Center on Health Care (CeRGAS) of the Bocconi University.
“We have chosen for this project a modality of co-research in cui i patients actively participate to the project through their evaluations of these forms of service and to the development of the app. The experience of the patients and their knowledge of the disease are in fact fundamental to better design health services and to design an app that responds as precisely as possible to theirs clinical needs. The contribution of the Italian Federation of Osteoporotic Patients (FEDIOS), but it will be all the patients who use the app during this study who will further contribute to its development ”, concludes Professor Amelia Compagni.
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