Beijing
\nInternet hospitals have been embracing rapid development in China over the recent years. Back in 2018, there were only about 100 such facilities across the country, while the figure now exceeds 1,600.
\nThese online hospitals offer click-and-mortar medical services. Integrating subsequent visits, follow-up visits and medical consultation services, they allow patients to enjoy medical services without stepping out of their homes.
\nA man surnamed Li from Chaoyang district of Beijing always visits Xuanwu Hospital affiliated to the Capital Medical University via the hospital\u2019s mobile application, to have prescriptions refilled for his octogenarian father who suffers from cerebrovascular disease and has to take medicines regularly to prevent cerebral infarction.
\nAccording to Chen Fei, doctor-in-charge with Xuanwu Hospital\u2019s neurology department, he has given a dozen prescriptions to Li\u2019s father.
\n\u201cI used to ask for a half-day leave before going to get the medicines prescribed for my father, which was both tiring and time-consuming,\u201d said Li, adding that the internet hospital is convenient as he can have the medicines prescribed through his mobile phone and delivered to him on the next day.
\nAs a specialist in carotid artery stenting, Chen is always on full schedule, which makes it hard for patients to see him in his office. Thanks to the online hospital, all patients now have the opportunity to make an appointment to meet him online.
\n\u201cMost of my patients need subsequent visits and prescriptions on a regular basis, and they can keep in touch with me through the online hospital anytime and anywhere ,\u201d he said.
\nChen Qiulin, deputy director of the Health Industry Development Research Center at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told People\u2019s Daily that internet hospitals can improve the accessibility of medical services and lower the cost for patients.
\nTo further exploit the advantages of online medical services and benefit more patients, Chongqing University Three Gorges Hospital (CUTGH) in southwest China\u2019s Chongqing municipality has connected village clinics to its internet hospital.
\n\u201cSometimes we would consult with the doctors from CUTGH on the cases we are unsure of,\u201d said Li Xiaojian, a doctor in the clinic of Guanba village, Chongqing\u2019s Wanzhou district, adding that such services have greatly facilitated the villagers.
\nCUTGH president Zhang Xianxiang told People\u2019s Daily that the hospital will keep extending the reach of its online medical services, so as to bring home health care services to more patients.
\nBesides, the hospital will also collaborate more with pharmacies and village clinics and deploy more internet hospital terminals in neighboring districts and counties, Zhang added.
\nInternet hospitals are making medical services more accessible for patients in critical and complicated conditions.
\nFor instance, Mr Wang in Jinzhai county, east China\u2019s Anhui province suffers from rheumatoid disease, and his condition got worse recently. The progression wasn\u2019t controlled even after he was hospitalized. In less than two days, Wang became unconscious and he refused to go through checkups.
\nTo deal with the situation, Wang\u2019s doctor contacted Chen Xiaoping, deputy director of the endocrinology department of the Beijing-based China-Japan Friendship Hospital (CJFH), via a telemedicine platform. After Chen held a joint consultation with experts from his hospital, Wang was diagnosed with brain damage led by severe hyponatremia and mild infection in the lungs. Thanks to the joint consultation, Wang soon recovered after going through systematic treatment. He can even do farm work now.
\nCui Yong, vice president of the CJFH introduced that combining telemedicine and internet-based medical consultation is a highlight of the CJFH\u2019s internet hospital, which can both improve medical capability at primary level and better facilitate the people.
\nTelemedicine is mainly for patients in critical and complicated conditions at primary-level medical institutions, while internet-based medical consultation is offered to patients on subsequent visits who could miss the prime time for treatment once their situations worsen if they can\u2019t make it to big hospitals in time.
\nThe combination of telemedicine and internet-based medical consultation is able to timely detect and deal with new symptoms developed by patients and thus better guarantee their health.
\nSo far, the CJFH has been connected to nearly 6,000 medical institutions across the country via its internet hospital system, including 580 offering integrated elderly care and medical services. A total of more than 13,000 remote consultations have been carried out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Beijing Internet hospitals have been embracing rapid development in China over the recent years. Back in 2018, there were only about 100 such facilities across the country, while the figure now exceeds 1,600. These online hospitals offer click-and-mortar medical services. Integrating subsequent visits, follow-up visits and medical consultation services, they allow patients to enjoy medical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-246140","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n