Wenjiang hospital innovates elderly health management

Medical workers at the geriatrics center of Wenjiang District People's Hospital take intensive care of the elderly patients. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The Wenjiang District People's Hospital in Chengdu, Sichuan province, is exploring a new model of elderly health management by opening a geriatrics center and establishing a system of health management service knowledge.

To satisfy the rapidly increasing medical and health needs of the elderly, the hospital launched a geriatrics center in April 2020. It integrates functions such as medical treatment, scientific research, teaching and social services.

The center has three inpatient wards with 122 open beds and eight clinical sub-specialties such as elderly respiratory care, elderly cardiovascular care, endocrinology and rehabilitation medicine.

"The coexistence of multiple diseases is common in the elderly. Therefore, the sub-specialties in the geriatrics center are set up to handle the geriatric syndrome," said Zhang Xiaofang, director of the first ward of the geriatrics center.

Medical workers at the geriatrics center of Wenjiang District People's Hospital take intensive care of the elderly patients. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Zhang said the wards at the geriatrics center have adopted a new medical management model that is suitable for elderly patients. The center carries out multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment for the elderly, opens integrated outpatient clinics and tries its best to maintain and restore the functional abilities of elderly patients to the maximum extent.

The geriatrics center is cooperating with the traditional Chinese medicine department to help improve elderly patients' internal functions, including immunity and the intestinal system. It also aims to increase their survival rate through traditional Chinese medical care and methods, she said.

"The center will also use wearable devices and internet technology to establish fixed contacts with community health centers, medical-nursing institutions and nursing homes to achieve continuous treatment and full-course continuous care for elderly patients," said Zhang.

He Zhaoxia, vice-president of Wenjiang District People's Hospital, said the hospital is conducting a research project that aims to establish a "six-in-one" system for health management service knowledge. The system will integrate the knowledge and concepts of Western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, sports, nutrition, psychology and nursing.

The system will help provide home-based elderly people with full-process health services covering disease prevention, general health, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation, He said.

Medical workers at the geriatrics center of Wenjiang District People's Hospital gather to talk about their work. [Photo provided to China Daily]

He said the research project will build an efficient, standardized, scientific and practical system for the training of health management practitioners in district- and county-level general hospitals. It will also help cultivate many high-quality, high-capacity health management practitioners in different professions and positions.

The research results can not only be applied in medical institutions and elderly care institutions, but will also help promote the development of the community economy and solve employment problems, she said.

Liu Jun, president of Wenjiang District People's Hospital, said that home-based health management for the community's elderly with the support of primary medical institutions is a model that's in line with China's national conditions.

"As a public hospital, we will make full use of our resources and service capabilities to help provide home-based health management services for the elderly," Liu said, adding that they will make sure that the services are affordable for ordinary people.