Geriatric medicine in China: The past, present, and future

Abstract

Geriatric medicine in China started to develop as a medical specialty in the 1950s and has now become an extensive national healthcare network for the elderly. As population aging accelerates and the number of senior citizens keeps rising, major issues of healthcare delivery for this segment need to be addressed. Inequality in access to quality health care continues to exist between the public and private sectors and between urban centers and rural areas. The education and practice of geriatric medicine also face a range of problems, such as inadequate teaching of geriatrics-related subjects in the medical education curriculum, the design of residency and fellowship programs, and the integration of geriatric principles into clinical practice. Government commitment, investment from the private sector, and improvement in geriatric medicine professionals' knowledge and skills are required to bring geriatric care to a higher level. kinds of tasks we need to accomplish to elevate the country's geriatric medicine to a new height. ----------------------This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

A research agenda for ageing in China in the 21st century (2nd edition): Focusing on basic and translational research, long-term care, policy and social networks

“…The current trend towards an ageing society poses difficulties due to the additional challenges seen in diseases in the elderly, including longer disease durations, more complications, underwhelming responses to treatment, and poor prognosis, thus in response to this trend, China has established the National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders (NCRCGD) ( O’Meara, 2020 ; Yu et al, 2018a ). Funded by the central government, the NCRCGD aims to provide innovative models for the diagnosis, management and further research into geriatric diseases at a national level.…”

“…It is necessary to establish updated ageing policies on retirement age, to incentivize employment of the elderly, to encourage lifelong learning, and to invest in senior volunteer programs ( Yeoh and Lai, 2016 ). The education and practice of geriatric medicine has been and will continue to be enhanced, including to further increase the teaching of geriatrics-related subjects in medical school, to design high-quality residency and fellowship programs, and to further integrate geriatric principles into general clinical practice ( Yu et al, 2018a ). The establishment of the national alliance of NCRCGD has been highly appreciated and welcomed and it will continue to serve as a national platform to educate and train geriatricians.…”

Distribution of the population and health projects of the Joint Fund in China between 2006 and 2019

“…The Joint Fund's funding amount and number of projects in the field The Joint Fund's investment in the field of population and health has maintained continuous growth, which is consistent with the government's guidance on medical care. As the life expectancy of the Chinese population increases, the demand for medical and health care also increases (5,6). Therefore, increasing the volume of funding in the field of population and health is consistent with the health requirements of the people in China at this stage (5,6).…”

“…As the life expectancy of the Chinese population increases, the demand for medical and health care also increases (5,6). Therefore, increasing the volume of funding in the field of population and health is consistent with the health requirements of the people in China at this stage (5,6). The funded projects have mainly focused on Fostering Program projects and Key Program projects, with the largest number being Fostering Program projects, which play a role of expansive coverage and cultivation of young talents.…”

Hospitals’ Role in Improving Health and Long-Term Care in the People’s Republic of China

“…Specific geriatric care education for doctors and nurses faces difficulties in the PRC. Geriatrics-related subjects are inadequately covered in the medical education curriculum, residency and fellowship programs are poorly designed, and geriatric principles are poorly integrated into clinical practice (Yu, Liu, and Wang 2018). Geriatric nurses' education is provided in most provinces, but the supply of geriatric nurses is still limited.…”