Italian healthcare has its own terminology and administrative logic. English is spoken by many younger medical professionals, particularly at Checkpoints and university hospitals, but knowing the Italian terms helps you navigate paperwork, signs, and regions where English is less common.
The Health System
| Purpose | Italian Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Servizio Sanitario Nazionale. | SSN | Italy's National Health Service. Free at point of use for residents, with some co-pays (ticket). |
| Azienda Sanitaria Locale. | ASL | Local Health Authority. Your regional healthcare administrator. Every Italian region has multiple ASL units. |
| Your assigned GP / family doctor. | Medico di base / Medico curante | The first point of contact in the public system. Can issue prescriptions (impegnative) for specialist referrals. |
| Health card. | Tessera Sanitaria | Your SSN registration card, containing your codice fiscale (tax code). Required for accessing SSN services. |
| Tax identification code. | Codice Fiscale | Used as your primary identifier in the healthcare system. EU residents can obtain this. |
| European Health Insurance Card (called TEAM in Italian). | EHIC / TEAM | EU citizens can use this for medically necessary care in Italy at SSN rates. |
| The prescription/referral slip from your GP for specialist visits or tests. | Impegnativa | Sometimes called a "ricetta rossa" (red prescription). Required to book via CUP. |
| Centro Unico Prenotazioni. | CUP | The centralised booking system for specialist appointments. You call your ASL's CUP with an impegnativa to book. |
| The co-pay you pay for outpatient services, specialist visits, and tests. | Ticket | Amount varies by region and whether you have an exemption (esenzione). For income-based or HIV-related exemptions, ask your medico di base. |
| Emergency room. | Pronto Soccorso | Open 24/7. For PEP, go here. |
| Infectious Diseases department/unit. | Malattie Infettive | Where PrEP is prescribed and HIV treatment is managed. |
| Hospital pharmacy. | Farmacia Ospedaliera | Where free PrEP is dispensed (not a regular pharmacy). |
Appointments
| Purpose | Italian Term |
|---|---|
| To book an appointment | Prenotare |
| Appointment | Appuntamento / Visita |
| Referral/prescription for specialist | Impegnativa |
| Waiting list | Lista d'attesa |
| Waiting room | Sala d'attesa |
| Exemption from ticket | Esenzione |
| Prescription (for medication) | Ricetta |
| Pharmacy | Farmacia |
| Private (not SSN covered) | Privato / In regime privato |
Sexual Health and Testing
| Purpose | Italian Term |
|---|---|
| Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) | Malattie sessualmente trasmissibili (MST) / Infezioni sessualmente trasmissibili (IST) |
| HIV test | Test HIV |
| Syphilis | Sifilide |
| Gonorrhoea | Gonorrea |
| Chlamydia | Clamidia |
| Swab | Tampone |
| Throat swab | Tampone faringeo |
| Rectal swab | Tampone rettale |
| Urethral swab | Tampone uretrale |
| Blood test | Esame del sangue |
| Urine test | Esame delle urine |
| Result | Risultato |
| Positive / Negative | Positivo / Negativo |
HIV, PrEP, and PEP
| Purpose | Italian Term |
|---|---|
| PrEP | PrEP (Profilassi Pre-Esposizione) |
| PEP | PPE / PEP (Profilassi Post-Esposizione) |
| HIV positive / negative | HIV positivo / negativo |
| Undetectable viral load | Non rilevabile / Carica virale non rilevabile |
| Viral load | Carica virale |
| CD4 count | Linfociti T CD4 |
| Antiretroviral therapy | Terapia antiretrovirale (TAR) / ART |
| Infectious disease specialist | Infettivologo |
| Infectious diseases centre | Centro di Malattie Infettive |
Vaccines
| Purpose | Italian Term |
|---|---|
| Vaccine | Vaccino |
| Vaccination | Vaccinazione |
| Vaccination centre | Centro Vaccinale |
| Hepatitis A / B | Epatite A / B |
| HPV vaccine | HPV (Papillomavirus Umano) |
| Mpox | Vaiolo delle scimmie / Mpox |
| Risk group (for subsidised access) | Categoria a rischio |
Key Phrases
| Purpose | Italian Term |
|---|---|
| Do you speak English? | Parlo un po' italiano — parla inglese? |
| Full STI screen — throat, rectal, and urethral swabs | Vorrei fare un test completo per le IST — tampone faringeo, rettale e uretrale, più gli esami del sangue. |
| At a Checkpoint: request full panel | Il pannello completo, per favore. |
| Anonymous HIV test | Voglio fare un test HIV anonimo. |
| I'm on PrEP — need my three-month monitoring | Sono in PrEP e ho bisogno del mio controllo trimestrale. |
| I want to start PrEP | Vorrei iniziare la PrEP. |
| HIV exposure — I need PEP — within 72 hours | Ho avuto un rapporto a rischio HIV nelle ultime 72 ore. Ho bisogno della Profilassi Post-Esposizione (PPE). |
| I need a referral for... | Ho bisogno di un'impegnativa per... |
| I have an EHIC card | Ho la tessera EHIC. |
| I need help | Aiuto! Ho bisogno di aiuto! |
| Call an ambulance | Chiamate un'ambulanza! |
| I feel unwell | Mi sento male. |
| I have taken a substance (chemsex emergency) | Ho preso una sostanza. |
Emergency Numbers
| Service | Number |
|---|---|
| Emergency (all services) | 112 |
| Ambulance (Pronto Soccorso) | 118 |
| Police | 113 |
Signs: Pronto Soccorso (emergency entrance), Triage (check-in), Malattie Infettive (infectious diseases ward).