THE TELIOT PROJECT: TELemedicine for Improving adherence to anti-Osteoporotic Therapies
Principal investigator: Amelia Compagni
Team UB/Cergas: Benedetta Pongiglione (CeRGAS)
Partners: Gherardo Mazziotti, Flaminia Carrone (Hunimed, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital), Andrea Aliverti, Maria Laura Constantino, Alessandra Angelucci (Politecnico di Milano)- Per progetti EU solo istituzioni
Sponsor: Fondazione Cariplo (Call 2021 Data Science - Chronic Care)
Duration: October 2021-March 2024
Abstract:
The adherence to medications is one of the most relevant predictors of good health outcomes in chronic care. Adherence to medications is a complex phenomenon influenced by a variety of factors, including the frequency, continuity, and quality of interaction between chronic care patients and clinicians. Telemedicine (as in televisit or teleconsultation) and the use of apps have been proposed as approaches capable of facilitating interaction between patients and clinicians and, as such, access to healthcare services. Yet, the effectiveness and acceptability both to patients and clinicians of these approaches are far from clear and their diffusion in healthcare systems and organizations not homogeneous. In addition, one of the main limitations of current research is that studies have been based on the collection of a limited set of data, mainly clinical in nature. This has prevented from reaching a comprehensive understanding of the potential, but also of the pitfalls associated with these approaches, limiting the capacity of research to inform patients’, clinicians’ as well as healthcare managers’ and policy-makers’ decisions about these innovations.
The project aims at assessing the impact of telemedicine and enhanced telemedicine (i.e., in combination with an app at the disposal of patients) on the adherence to medications in a relevant chronic condition, i.e., osteoporosis, on their health status and on their overall experience with these new service models. In doing so, the project integrates different sources of data including hard clinical data, patient self-reported data, clinicians’ perceptions of telemedicine, and administrative data.
The project is articulated in:
a retrospective study on patients with osteoporosis who during the Covid-19 emergency have been switched from face-to-face consultations to telemedicine-based consultations;
a prospective observational study comparing patients newly diagnosed with osteoporosis involved in either face-to-face consultations with bone specialists, telemedicine-based consultations (teleconsultations) or teleconsultations enhanced by the use of an app to contact clinicians for a consultation outside of set appointments. The app will be developed through a participatory process involving patients with osteoporosis and bone specialists.
Material produced and publications: report produced and publications:
Pongiglione, B., Carrone, F., Angelucci, A., Mazziotti, G., & Compagni, A. (2023). Patient characteristics associated with the acceptability of teleconsultation: a retrospective study of osteoporotic patients post-COVID-19. BMC Health Services Research, 23(1), 230.
Presentations:
Perception of telemedicine among patients with osteoporosis: a retrospective study (B. Pongiglione) XXVII National AIES Conference, Università di Messina, September 8–9, 2022
Bocconi Knowledge: Curing from afar
Humanitas breaking news: Osteoporosi: il progetto Teliot innova la telemedicina