Use of telemedicine among 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, the interest for telemedicine use to treat patients increased among doctors, in particular general practitioners. According to a survey conducted in June 2020 among general practitioners in Italy, 11 percent of respondents reported that they used telemedicine to conduct examinations before the COVID-19 emergency. However, the share of GPs that would be interest in carrying out tele-examinations reached 54 percent. The interest for the use of telemedicine in the future appeared to be generally high, especially when it involves consulting other colleagues and physicians, or monitoring patients' health status.