Telehealth

Telehealth refers to the technology that provides continuous monitoring and medical health management services to patients through digital information and communication technology. Broadly speaking, it can include application scenarios such as remote medical consultation, health monitoring, and personal health management etc. Based on the rapid development of internet technology in China, medical institutions can track patients’ health status and provide remote consultation services through the internet. With the increased popularity of wearable devices in recent years, more patients can receive health monitoring and tracking without it affecting their daily life.

From a Chinese market perspective, Hainan Bo’ao International Medical Zone is a pilot zone approved by the Chinese government in 2018, to test and promote international cutting-edge medical technologies. More than 40 private and public medical institutions will be located in this area, of which 15 hospitals have been constructed and started to provide diagnosis and treatment services. Patients can fly from mainland China to Hainan, receive diagnosis and treatment in the area, and then return to their hometowns to receive remote monitoring, and communicate and consult with hospitals in the area.

There is no doubt that telehealth will become the key direction for hospitals in the Hainan Bo’ao Medical zone to promote development and seek cooperation. On the one hand, telehealth will ensure that patients’ health status will be continuously monitored when patients return to their hometowns on mainland China, reducing the probability of repeated admissions to hospitals. On the other hand, telehealth data could be used for real-world data research of patient groups, which will also help international medical companies to register their medical products in mainland China in the future.