People's Daily, Beijing, May 18 (Reporter Li Qiaochu) In recent years, the demand for online consultation has continued to grow, and services such as online consultation and medication guidance provided by medical institutions have been welcomed. New technologies are used in new formats, and internet diagnosis and treatment can not only improve the efficiency of medical services, but also effectively alleviate the pressure on medical resource supply, meeting the new needs of the public for medical services.
According to the Statistical Report on the Development of Internet in China released by the China Internet Network Information Center, as of December 2022, the number of online medical users in China has reached 363 million, an increase of 64.66 million over December 2021, accounting for 34% of all Internet users.
In December 2022, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued the Outline of the Strategic Plan for Expanding Domestic Demand (2022-2035) (hereinafter referred to as the Outline of the Plan), which proposes to actively develop the "Internet plus medical health" service, improve the Internet diagnosis and treatment charging policy, and include qualified Internet medical service projects into the medical insurance payment scope according to procedures.
In February this year, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council issued the Opinions on Further Deepening the Reform and Promoting the Healthy Development of the Rural Medical and Health System (hereinafter referred to as the Opinions), which proposed to vigorously promote "Internet plus health care", build a rural telemedicine service system, promote remote consultation, appointment referral, Internet referral, and remote inspection, Accelerate the deployment and application of artificial intelligence assisted diagnosis in rural medical and health institutions. Enhance the digital and intelligent level of family doctor signing and rural medical and health services.
Industry insiders say that as a new medical model that applies computer technology and information technology to the entire medical process, internet diagnosis and treatment has significant advantages. From the perspective of patients, internet diagnosis and treatment can span time and space, simplify the medical process, reduce medical costs, and improve the medical experience. From the perspective of medical institutions, internet diagnosis and treatment enables the digitization of patient medical records and health records, improving the efficiency of disease diagnosis and patient management.
The "2022 China Internet Hospital Development Report" jointly released by organizations such as the National Center for Remote Medicine and Internet Medicine, the National Health Commission Remote Medical Management Training Center, and the National Health Commission Grassroots Remote Medical Development Guidance Center shows that in 2021, the average daily online diagnosis and treatment number of Internet hospitals increased by 141.8% year-on-year. In this context, many enterprises have launched relevant platforms, such as the "Revised Health" online medical consultation platform upgraded by the Revised Pharmaceutical Group, which provides an integrated platform for consultation, consultation, and drug purchase for the public with intelligent system support and service types.
Internet diagnosis and treatment is not a simple extension of offline medical care, which puts forward higher requirements for the service content, safety and quality of doctors and institutions. In 2022, the General Office of the National Health Commission and the Office of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine jointly formulated the "Regulations on the Supervision of Internet Diagnosis and Treatment (Trial)", which not only encouraged medical institutions to use Internet and other technologies to provide services, but also clarified the regulatory requirements for Internet diagnosis and treatment in medicine, medical treatment, technology, and other aspects, making it more convenient and standardized for development. In this regard, "Correcting Health" utilizes a rational medication and pre approval system, which not only supervises the standardized diagnosis and treatment process, but also provides guidance for special populations and medication precautions, avoids medical risks, and allows consultants to receive scientific and professional medication advice.
Inquiries and medication purchases in daily life will also generate many different situational needs, helping to cultivate and improve family based health defense and judgment abilities has become one of the trends. The 24-hour online medical consultation service provided by "Correcting Health" can not only meet the timeliness of emergency diagnosis and treatment, but also serve as a channel for daily health consultation, identifying health hazards such as food contraindications, medication contraindications, and disease signs, transforming passive disease treatment into proactive early intervention, thereby managing health risks.
Industry experts have stated that internet healthcare has become a necessity for us and a consensus among the whole society. In the future, the application of internet technology in the medical field will become increasingly widespread. All sectors of society should fully stimulate the advantages of internet healthcare and inject new momentum into the construction of a healthy China.