Telemedicine and digital narrative medicine for the customization of the diagnostic-therapeutic path at the time of COVID 19

Abstract

The Covid-19 issues have placed the telemedicine into the limelight, for its ability to reach remote patients affected by COVID-19, offering them support, expert advice, home hospitalization. At the same time, it gives the many fragile patients, who should be submitted to therapeutic checks or adjustments, the opportunity to be followed appropriately, avoiding travelling and associated risks of contagion. The current situation has accelerated its use in diabetological care: but with the risk of reducing the medical-patient empathic relationship. Narrative Medicine (NBM) integrates with Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) and, taking into account the plurality of perspectives, makes clinical-care decisions more complete, personalized, effective and appropriate. The stories told by patient and by those who take care, are an essential element of contemporary medicine, based on the active participation of the subjects who are involved in the choices. People, through their own stories, become protagonists of the process of care”. The ability of mixing the technology achievements with the humanistic vision of the care process characterizes DNM, the first digital platformentirely designed for the development of narrative medicine projects in the clinical practice. It was conceived by a team of anthropologists and psychologists with the advice of doctors and experts in narrative medicine of OMNI the Observatory of Narrative Medicine Italy. The DNM features aim to maximize the potential of the digital process, at the same time preserving patient privacy and health data confidentiality. KEY WORDS telemedicine; narrative medicine; digital narrative medicine.