A valuable, real-life learning opportunity

Zhou Yan, 40, is a cardiologist at Hailun People's Hospital in Hailun, Heilongjiang province. She has participated in seven long-distance consultations since November.

We doctors at the grassroots level often come across medical problems that we have no clue about, and typically suggest that the cases be transferred to specialists at hospitals. The downside of the practice is that we often get no feedback and would never know what was wrong with the patient. Now, the video call consultation with top medical experts - which started in November last year at my hospital - provides a valuable learning opportunity.

The consultation is different from taking refresher courses or attending academic forums - which mainly feature highly theoretical papers and lectures, rather than actual cases. During the video consultation, doctors from Beijing apply theory to the specific case at hand, which we find more rewarding.