Chinese health authorities are piloting an app to book in-home nursing services for seniors, including minor medical procedures. Yet there could be issues of safety - that of patients' health and of the nurses’ personal security, Jiao Yahui, deputy director of the Medical Administration of the National Health Commission, said at a press conference, news portal
The Paper reported.
The pilot was implemented from February to December 2018 in six provinces and cities, including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangdong.
The service is much needed as China's population continues to age. According to data from the National Working Commission on Aging, there were 240 million people over 60 at the end of 2017, accounting for 17.3 percent of the total population. It is expected that by 2020, this group will number 255 million, of whom some 118 million will be living alone.
Although in-home nursing services are useful for discharged patients and disabled people, the nurses should not be working as individuals but under the umbrella of a health service provider to guarantee the safety of both nurses and patients. Not all treatments are safe to be carried out at home, Jiao noted. The service will be supplementary to other health services, and should be regarded as one of a raft of measures to improve medical care and services for seniors and the disabled.
Nurses who work in this sector should have at least five years of experience, and be registered in a national database. Medical institutions should be licensed before they cooperate with internet companies to provide nursing services.
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