Internet-plus nursing program offers convenience to patients

Aunt Deng, a 72-year-old Beijing resident, depends on a nasogastric tube for taking food, which has to be renewed on a monthly basis.

An Internet-plus program has made the process of renewing the tube more convenient through a door-to-door nursing service, according to the China Internet Information Center.

China is piloting the program from February to December, according to a notice by the National Health Commission to local health authorities.

Under the program, approved medical institutions can send nurses who have at least five years of clinical nursing experience to communities or homes to serve patients who are too old or restricted by their diseases to move.

Six provincial-level regions across the country -- Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangdong --have been chosen for the pilot program.

Ding Shaolei, CEO of Goldnurse, a major online nursing platform, said the notice reflected China's support of the Internet-plus industry, and will protect and promote online nursing.

Currently, injection, venous sampling and wound dressing are among services that have received most orders through online nursing platform.

Need for home nursing care has rapidly increased in China. According to official figures, the population aged 60 or above in China has reached 250 million. Senior people with chronic diseases accounted for 65 percent of the total senior population.

A woman surnamed Zhang also said she found it very challenging to drive her mother to hospital for a dressing change every day while taking care of her young child.

"We hope online nursing service can help resolve home-based care for the aged people," Ding said.