A growing number of hospitals in China have begun offering online consultations as part of the efforts to prevent overcrowding in hospitals and serve patients efficiently amid a surge in COVID-19 cases.
The No. 1 Hospital Affiliated with Kunming Medical University in southwest China's Yunnan Province is one of the earliest medical institutions to launch online services, after receiving more COVID-infected patients with underlying diseases.
"We try to help the patients save time in this way, which is also conducive to reducing cross infections," said Zeng You, president of the hospital. Some 170 doctors from different departments are available for online diagnosis.
A doctor at the No. 1 Hospital Affiliated with Kunming Medical University communicates with a patient via audio chat. Yang Jinghao/CGTN
Neurologist Liu Xiaolei is one of the doctors offering online consultations. She said demand has been on the rise.
"At one point I had 80 slots in one day. They were fully booked very quickly," said Liu. "Now I can manage around 40, as I have a lot of clinical work to do."
Doctors and patients communicate on a special platform called "online fever clinic" through texts, pictures or real-time audio and video chat.
"I first ask about the patients’ specific symptoms. And if I decide to prescribe medicines, I will take down relevant information, including their complaints, medical history and allergy history," said Liu.
She added that they can also file applications for related tests from the system if the patients need further diagnosis.
Any prescribed medication is then sent out to patients via an express delivery service. A staff member in charge of medicine distribution told CGTN that they deliver some 500 packages every day, sometimes 600, which are mainly for fever and cold.
A staff member at the No. 1 Hospital Affiliated with Kunming Medical University packs medicines to be delivered to patients. Yang Jinghao/CGTN
The process has been broadly welcomed, especially by younger people.
"It's a nice experience. I was able to communicate with doctors and get a prescription just staying at home. And the medicines were delivered to me within the same day," Tao Yilin, who was infected with COVID-19 and experienced the service some 10 days ago, told CGTN. He said he's almost recovered.
Hospitals across the country are now being encouraged to introduce the system in order to free up more resources for those in urgent need.
"We've carefully allocated all beds and key equipment at our hospital and properly arranged the medical staff, including doctors and nurses, to ensure all critically ill patients can be treated in a timely and scientific manner," said Zeng.
A doctor at the No. 1 Hospital Affiliated with Kunming Medical University prescribes medicines to patients at the online clinic. Luo Caiwen/CGTN
In recent years, online medical services have become increasingly popular in China. A report issued by the China Internet Network Information Center shows that as of June 2022, users of the service had reached 300 million.
Internet giants, including Alibaba, JD.com and Meituan, are all trying to take a share of the spoils by launching online medical services.
Zeng said that as wearable equipment gets more accessible to people and related technologies further develop, online diagnosis and treatment will become more popular and play a bigger and more efficient role in providing healthcare.
(Cover: A doctor at the No. 1 Hospital Affiliated with Kunming Medical University communicates with a patient via online clinic. /CGTN)