Gimbe, one in five kids don't know their family doctor and 80% have never used the Fse

One in five kids doesn't know their family doctor. Half don't know what a ticket is, and over 80% have never used the Electronic Health Record (Fse). 40% use artificial intelligence tools, potentially exposing themselves to misleading content.

These are just some of the data that emerged from a survey by Fondazione Gimbe on over 4,200 students in the final years of high school throughout Italy, part of the educational project " La Salute tiene banco " for which a crowdfunding campaign has been launched, active until June 13.

Children and the Health System

"The defense of the constitutional right to health care", says Nino Cartabellotta , president of Gimbe, "must also involve the new generations, starting from school age". During 33 meetings in 30 schools between October 2024 and March 2025, the kids answered interactive quizzes on the functioning of the NHS, prevention, use of digital tools. 83% said they had already met their family doctor, 16.7% did not know who he was. For Cartabellotta, the transition from pediatrician to GP, today a simple administrative act in the 14th year, "must transform from a bureaucratic procedure into a guided path". 53.6% said they did not know what the health ticket is for. 82.3% had never used the FSE, an "alarm bell" on the "poor knowledge of a strategic digital tool" and on the "absence of educational paths on conscious health management".

Artificial intelligence for information

37.2% of students use ChatGpt or similar on a daily basis, and 36.5% sporadically. This "makes it a priority to integrate education on the responsible use of these technologies into school curricula", explains the Gimbe president, who recalls that "without adequate skills, AI risks becoming a vehicle for disinformation".

Ignorance about screening and antibiotic use

The kids then show that they do not know about the free screening programs offered by the NHS, that they have erroneous beliefs about periodic checks and the use of antibiotics, but also that they are largely aware of regional inequalities. "The survey", concludes Cartabellotta, "confirms the need to transfer a solid culture of prevention, health promotion and conscious use of the NHS already at school age".