Embracing 'mobile' healthcare

The study report indicates that 54 percent of those surveyed believe mobile healthcare service will improve the way they manage their overall health. And 45 percent hope to use mobile healthcare service as a way to make access to doctors more convenient. A total of 36 percent believe the service will also reduce medical care costs.

The most desired mobile healthcare solutions are in the areas of integrating real-time medical information from patients into their existing medical records, allowing transparency between doctors and patients. A total of 24 percent of those surveyed are aware of and willing to use the integrated services, while 73 percent will be willing to use the integrated services in the future. Almost all future users of the integrated services are willing to pay for them.

Fu Jianming, a 45-year-old Beijinger, said he really hopes this service can be available in his community as soon as possible. "My parents and parents-in-law are all over 75 and living with me and my wife. If the service is offered, it will be very convenient for them to see doctors in community clinics, a place with many fewer patients than in big hospitals and it is near our home," he said. "At the same time they can enjoy a high-quality diagnosis service, the same as that in big hospitals. That's fantastic."

The study also found Chinese doctors expect mobile technology healthcare to improve both their interaction with hospitals and with patients. Around 44 percent of the surveyed doctors think this service can bring better processes and communications with hospitals, and 33 percent think it can reduce administrative time.

Reduced cost is also a key attraction to adopting mobile medical solutions. New entrants in the sector in China have emerged with ideas that create attractive benefits for patients and doctors, sound returns on the investments of stakeholders and a sustainable revenue model for themselves.

"Looking back to how the Internet and mobile phones revolutionized everyday life, the service seems to be a logical solution towards China's healthcare transformation," said Xiao. "The prevalence of mobile users and maturity of China's mobile infrastructure will help bypass any limitations in the existing system. Using this solution, doctors in rural areas can enjoy the same level of access to medical knowledge and communication as in a large city, and chronic health conditions can be monitored and managed at the doctor's fingertips through mobile devices. More importantly, it can reduce costs."

Recently, Shanghai Re Medical signed a contract with a clinic in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in northwestern China. Other institutions and companies are testing the waters.

liujie@chinadaily.com.cn