All recent regulations and guidelines suggest as a topic of great importance to the management of the patient at home, both in terms of assistance in terms of discharge from the hospital protected. Here, then, that the technological challenge is added to the socio-health: the responsibility of the patient is in fact increasingly shared by the hospital with the family.

The "home care" can be divided into "integrated home care" (ADI) and "home hospitalization" (OD). Both types may be indicated for patients "chronically critical."

The first is consistent with the current laws and health is the subject of specific policy initiatives contained in the Health Plans of different regions. It is emphasized the need in some specific diseases, chronic degenerative and debilitating, especially in people ultrasessantacinquenni, involving repeated hospitalizations and frequent among these such as chronic obstructive pulmonary el'Insufficienza Respiratory, diseases of high epidemiological relevance. L 'OD instead is the transfer of the patient at home to a level of care (diagnostic, evaluative, therapeutic and rehabilitative) available in hospitals. E 'is particularly indicated for patients with chronic diseases, which have reached a high level of disability, level of complexity and instability of the patients more candidates for the ADI, and that might require technological support "quoad vitam" (that is essential for survival such as pulmonary ventilation). The legislative references are more limited than those reported accession: the Document of the hospitalization Domiciliare the Ministry of Health (DM 12/4/2002), and little else, where it briefly mentions the need to establish standards, procedures , payment methods and clinical departments at which enable teams of OD). So we are in the study phase of testing prior to OD.

Farnia may be the engineering partner for the clinical reality health who want to start the process of home care or to discharge protected.

Based on the foregoing considerations in pilot projects under way with the Forlanini Hospital in Rome, with the Istituto Superiore di Sanita, the University "La Sapienza" University of Lecce, Farnia is booming, and study to operate in a particularly dynamic Health.
The future "extended area", consisting of ward, day hospital and home of the patient, must take into account the presence of many actors (doctors, engineers, families) who contribute to the functioning of the department itself: all'integrabilità technology must therefore also be supported the functional integration of the typical highly multidisciplinary contexts.
While from a medical-scientific at this point one begins to glimpse the evolution of the concept of home care, the large industrial realities are still under observation, while concentrating efforts and investments not just become more consolidated targets and protocols. OD initiatives that may have therefore undertaken an experimental value.