Reengineering Healthcare Systems: The Role of Digital Transformation, AI and Telemedicine. AULSS 6 Euganea Case Study

This thesis is focused on digital transformation applied in the healthcare sector, through a theoretical and practical lens. The analysis starts from the theoretical background (assessed through the evaluation of literature review), passing through the evolution of digital health, from its foundational concepts towards the emerging paradigm of Healthcare 5.0 – highlighting the influences coming from Industry 4.0. The study then also analyzes the driving forces, benefits and limiting barriers of digitalization, including organizational, technological and ethical dimensions. Consequently, the focus is shifted to the practical responses, strategies and action lines pursued by organizations, starting from a broader scope and arriving at a local context. In fact, it examines global and regional strategies, focusing on the World Health Organization, the European Union, Italy and Veneto Region, in order to assess how international, national and regional frameworks translate into concrete digital health programs. The connecting thread among these strategies can be reconducted to the broader issue of territorial and digital fragmentation – a significant challenge in European and Italian healthcare systems – evaluated both at macro (policies and frameworks) and micro levels (with a provincial extension). A further restriction of scope is done, assessing how ULSS 6 Euganea is implementing digitalization in its local healthcare system (considering its extension within Padova province). In particular, this thesis evaluates (via a practical analysis) the implementation and impact of a pilot project (centered on the digital transformation of the blood pre-donation process), applied within the UOC Medicina Trasfusionale department of ULSS 6 Euganea,. The study compares the traditional model (as-is) and the first stage of digital pilot project implementation (to-be), analyzing: operational efficiency, service delivery, quality and patients’ satisfaction – based on both quantitative and qualitative data collection and assessments. Ultimately, the project’s digital maturity is assessed using the HIMSS framework, identifying potential improvement areas and strategic recommendations for future full digital integration and further scalability.