On 11 May 2011, the National Monitoring Centre for Electronic Health Records (Osservatorio sul Fascicolo Sanitario Elettronico, in Italian) was set up with the purpose to streamline the healthcare system.

"The creation of a permanent monitoring centre for electronic health records became necessary," said Tonino Pedicini, Director General of the National Cancer Institute and newly-elected coordinator of the National Monitoring Centre, in order to monitor the various initiatives currently being implemented or started by the health authorities of the various Italian regions. The aim is to harmonise and to direct such initiatives in line with the 2010 guidelines of the Ministry for Regional Affairs. These guidelines state that the electronic health records are to be made available throughout the country by 2012 which will greatly improve healthcare, thus enabling quick and effective intervention in the case of emergencies and the immediate assessment of patients by healthcare providers, in addition to sparing the health system substantial resources.

Furthermore, there was a need to create a monitoring body such as the National Monitoring Centre, so as to prevent each region from undertaking independent initiatives.  

Some of the goals set by the National Monitoring Centre are to: 

• advance studies and research in Italy and abroad;
• enhance the activities of scientist teams belonging to various national and international academic disciplines;
• obtain financial resources to be allocated for the establishment of a scholarship programme;
• compare existing experiences in Italy and the rest of the world.

The National Monitoring Centre was created on the initiative of the National Cancer Institute of Naples (IRCCS) and the National Association of Italian Municipalities (Associazione Nazionale Comuni Italiani - ANCI, in Italian), which were later joined by the Giuseppe Moscati Hospital in Avellino and the local health authorities of Padova and Pieve di Soligo. Based at the offices of the National Association of Italian Municipalities in Rome, it will perform its duties for an indefinite period of time.

Further information:

• Original news article - Tecnomedicina (in Italian)