title: Virtual hospitalization: reality or utopia?
abstract: In this paper the problem regarding the way in which the increasing capacity and facilities of the telemedicine to link points of care, supporting services and health care sectors, is described. The virtual hospitalization is discussed, as well as its insertion in a new health care system, whose services will provide everyone with effective health care in their homes or in isolated places or in their working places or in emergencies, and which will permit remote consultations between professionals in specialized centers, hospitals and other peripheral points of care.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Analisi dei Sistemi ed Informatica - IASI, Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Maceratini
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rafanelli
authors.forename: F L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Ricci
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005060:Europe; D005062:European Union; D005544:Forecasting; D006285:Health Planning / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends; D006701:Home Nursing / Q000639:trends; D006751:Hospital Information Systems / Q000639:trends*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D018511:Systems Integration; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000639:trends*