Italy

Smart Cards for Pregnant Women

All the medical events relating to a woman's pregnancy will be made accessible in one click of a mouse in the Italian region of Veneto thanks to the 'Woman Card' ('Carta Donna' in Italian).

Pregnant women will be handed out a smart card during their first examination; all the medical reports and ultrasounds issued during the pregnancy will be stored on the card. This will enable future mothers, their family doctors or the specialist practitioners to easily view the images and reports from any computer, this in full compliance with privacy requirements. Indeed, the prior insertion of the password provided on the occasion of the card's handing out is required to access the content of the card. The smart card is an important part of the electronic health record.

According to Angelo Lino Del Favero, the Chief Executive Officer of the 'Unità Locale Socio Sanitaria (Ulss) 7 Veneto' – the local health agency which launched the card -, "The Woman Card is a modern, simple and easy-to use device which will not only allow to overcome the limitations of traditional paper-based documentation (...), it will also enable women to carry their own electronic health record on a card whose dimensions are those of a bank card."

The Woman Card has already been distributed to over 20 future mothers who have expressed their appreciation of the initiative. In addition, to save them from having to go around with medical reports and X-rays, the card will give them the possibility to show images and the 'short film' of the baby to parents and friends even prior to birth.

This 'pink' electronic health record initiative received the assistance of the Italian Ministries of Health and Innovation respectively, as well as of the Veneto Region. The government-owned Italian Mail provided support as well.

For more information, visit: www.ulss7.it