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June 13, 2017

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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Healthcare at the grassroots aids seniors

By Wu Huixin | 00:01 UTC+8 June 13, 2017 | Print Edition

FAMILY doctors and community-based healthcare have become the new trends in the Chinese medical system as authorities seek to ease congestion in urban hospitals. However, the number of general practitioners still falls short of demand, especially where senior citizens are concerned.

A pilot project in the Zhaolongkou neighborhood in the Hongmei residential community aims to ease the situation.

It has trained a team of home health workers to do routine medical checks, like blood pressure and other vital signs. The data are uploaded into a “smart” machine and transmitted to the smartphones of doctors to assess.

In the Hongmei community, a medical clinic has been established with one doctor, several nurses and “smart” medical machines. Some 120 senior residents have signed contracts with the clinic to handle their health needs.

Patients can either visit the clinic for health checkups or have in-home exams if they have mobility problems.

“Hongmei is the epitome of cutting-edge care in elderly communities in Hangzhou,” said Li Aijun, vice director of the Zhaolongkou neighborhood committee. “Senior residents are the majority here. In order to address their healthcare problems, we must make full use of modern big data technology to make up for a shortage of doctors.”

To that end, the committee cooperates with the Zhaolongkou Community Clinic, housekeeping services and technology companies. Housekeepers are trained how to use the machines that technology companies provide, and doctors stand ready to intervene if data suggest an immediate health problem.

“Residents are categorized according to their physical conditions,” said the clinic’s Dr Yan Yangyu. “I see patients with chronic illnesses for regular checks and visit severely ill patients in their homes. Residents can contact me 24/7.”

Last week, Yan’s smartphone sent him an alarm when a housekeeper input the blood pressure of an elderly man. The doctor immediately went to the home and discovered that the patient had stopped taking his prescribed blood-pressure medicine three months earlier.

“The big data system helps us monitor the daily conditions of people,” Yan said. “In emergencies, ambulances are called and hospital treatment provided.”

In addition to physical illnesses, Yan also treats the psychological problems of the elderly, which are triggered by living alone.

“I refer them to professional hospital treatment if I find their mental condition is badly deteriorating,” he said.

The clinic also offers the services of traditional Chinese medicine doctors and pharmacists.

Community-based healthcare has backup support from large hospitals.

“Hangzhou Red Cross, No. 117 and Run Shaw hospitals help us if we encounter difficulties,” said Fan Minghua, president of the Zhaolongkou Community Clinic.

Four in five residents in the neighborhood have enrolled with the community healthcare project.

Two of them are Zhang Xiaoxi, 64, and her husband. Both suffer from high blood pressure and diabetes. Formerly, they have to go to a large hospital for ordinary health checkups. Now, a housekeeper comes to their home to take their vital signs, and Dr Yan visits every now and then to see how they are doing.

Zhang’s medical insurance covers the annual fee for this medical service. Local government covers the fees of residents who don’t have the money.

“As the aging population grows, building a big data medical platform becomes more important,” said Miao Bing, whose company provides technology support to the Hongmei clinic. “Internet and cloud technology help establish medical records that can be shared by doctors and hospitals.”

Residents 60 years and older can now have their hearts checked at the clinic. A “smart” machine sends the data to the Beijing No. 301 Hospital, where doctors review it and give feedback.

“Hongmei is the first community to implement this medical system in Hangzhou,” said Li.

“If it works effectively, it may someday extend citywide.”

Hangzhou


 

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