Development of Telehealth systems and technologies for remote patients’ healthcare.

Telemedicine, or Telehealth, can be defined as the use of the most modern and up- to-date technologies to provide remote healthcare services and information. Through specially developed devices and thanks to the internet and satellite connections, patients and physicians can communicate virtually from anywhere, reaching places and people that other healthcare systems can’t. Over the years, telemedicine has undergone a notable evolution, successfully supporting ordinary medical practice. Telehealth proved to ensure high-quality medical care, greater possibilities for timely diagnosis, reduction of traveling times – especially for patients living in remote areas, or for elderly and/or invalid patients. The research activity focused mainly on seafarers embarked on commercial ships: generally, in these vessels, there is no doctor or medical staff, and the ship can travel the oceans for a long time, far from ports and health facilities. Healthcare onboard ships represent one of the greatest challenges for modern medicine, and the seafarers are the perfect example of remote patients. After carefully understanding the problems and health needs of this population, we have proposed strategies, systems, and technologies to promote an improvement in the health care provided, remotely. The final goal was to create standard models of telemedicine solutions based on scientific research and the experience gained over the years, as well as on the regulations and guidelines in force. This to provide standards for the future development of telemedicine systems and technologies, respecting and taking into account the practical and health needs of citizens.The proposed telehealth services may be effective for remote patients, but even in "non-remote" contexts such as in the ordinary medical/pharmaceutical practice, or in emergencies. The future work can be extended to improve the remote assistance service and explore the services for a larger population, starting from patients living in internal areas, far from health facilities.