Use of digital tools to communicate with GPs pre- and post-COVID-19 in Italy 2020

During the COVID-19 emergency in Italy many patients in need of care and consulting could not access health services the way they used to in the past. For this reason, digital communication channels have become central in the interaction between patients and doctors, in particular general practitioners. According to a survey conducted in June 2020 among Italians, only 19 percent of respondents reported that they used emails to communicate with their GP before the COVID-19 emergency, while 20 percent of respondents said they did not, but were interested in this option for the future. On the other hand, only one percent of respondents said that they used communications platforms such as Skype to interact with their GP. In this case, 23 percent declared their interest for future use.

在意大利遭遇COVID-19紧急情况期间，众多急需治疗和咨询的病患无法以既往习惯的方式获取医疗服务。鉴于此，数字通信渠道在患者与医生，尤其是全科医生之间的互动中变得至关重要。根据2020年6月对意大利民众进行的一项调查，仅有19%的受访者表示在COVID-19紧急情况之前曾使用电子邮件与其全科医生进行沟通，而20%的受访者表示未曾使用，但对未来采用该选项表示出浓厚兴趣。另一方面，仅有1%的受访者表示曾使用Skype等通讯平台与全科医生进行互动。在此情形下，23%的受访者表示他们有兴趣在未来使用这些平台。