Using Mobile Apps for Health Management: A New Health Care Mode in China

Abstract

Background China has a large population; however, medical resources are unevenly distributed and extremely limited, and more medical services are needed. With the development and ever-increasing popularity of mobile internet communication, China has created a mode of mobile health (mHealth) care to resolve this problem. Objective The aim of this study was (1) to describe the problems associated with China’s medical care practice, (2) explore the need for and the feasibility of internet-based medical care in China, and (3) analyze the functionality of and services offered by internet-based health care platforms for the management of chronic diseases. Methods Data search was performed by searching national websites, the popular search engine Baidu, the App Store, and websites of internet medical care institutions, using search terms like “mobile health,” “Internet health,” “mobile medical,” “Internet medical,” “digital medical,” “digital health,” and “online doctor.” A total of 6 mobile apps and websites with the biggest enrollment targeting doctors and end users with chronic diseases in China were selected. Results We recognized the limitations of medical and health care providers and unequal distribution of medical resources in China. An mHealth care platform is a novel and efficient way for doctors and patients to follow up and manage chronic diseases. Services offered by these platforms include reservation and payment, medical consultation, medical education assessment, pharmaceutical and medical instruments sales, electronic medical records, and chronic disease management. China’s health policies are now strongly promoting the implementation of mHealth solutions, particularly in response to the increasing burden of chronic diseases and aging in the population. Conclusions China's internet-based medical and health care mode can benefit the populace by providing people with high-quality medical resources. This can help other countries and regions with high population density and unevenly distributed medical resources manage their health care concerns.

The Internet Hospital as a Telehealth Model in China: Systematic Search and Content Analysis

“…Some medical services (first visit and severe illness) must be provided by offline hospitals, while others (nonclinical, health consultation, and follow-up diagnosis) can conveniently be realized online. Internet hospitals have stimulated the advantages of online and offline services to meet the medical needs of patients better and release high-quality medical resources (health workforce, equipment, etc) for offline hospitals [ 35 ].…”

Please pay attention to the competency of Chinese primary clinical medical workers in electrocardiogrophic interpretation skills

“…In China, the rural population base is huge and rural medical talents are in great demand. In recent years, with the rapid development of the economy, more and more young people with high education background choose to move from the countryside to the city, which makes the rural medical "no successor" [1,10]. In the current study, we showed that the development of talent echelons of primary hospitals was worrying, which characterized by older age, lower educational background, and lower professional qualification.…”

“…Almost all medical workers could operate the electrocardiograph and have received a theoretical study on ECG. Classification, which according to the severity of diseases and the difficulty of treatment, was the essence of hierarchical diagnosis and treatment service system [1,10]. Medical institutions with different service capacities undertaken the treatment of different diseases and carried out timely and convenient referrals according to the changing conditions of patients [1].…”

“…With the increasingly serious aging problem in China, coronary heart disease (CHD), diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic diseases have gradually become the main diseases affecting health [10]. In China, primary care hospitals generally include clinics, Class-I and Class-Ⅱ Hospitals.…”

Developing a Conceptual Model to Understand the Nutritional Problems and Negative Impacts on Quality of Life among Chinese Patients with type 2 Diabetes: A Qualitative Study

“…A multidisciplinary team (MDT) including nurse specialists and nutritionists may be a potential solution to promote nutrition education and management. Another feasible solution was to adopt e-Health technologies and develop mobile Apps to assist nutrition management [23] . Electronic health (eHealth) and mobile health (mhealth) technologies such as web-based programs and smartphone applications, have demonstrated as effective in assisting individuals with diabetes self-management (DSM) behaviors [24] .…”