Developing a Capsule Clinic-A 24-Hour Institution for Improving Primary Health Care Accessibility: Evidence From China

Dongliang Li; Rujia Zhang; Chun Chen; Yunyun Huang; Xiaoyi Wang; Qingren Yang; Xuebo Zhu; Xiangyang Zhang; Mo Hao; Liming Shui

doi:10.2196/41212

Developing a Capsule Clinic-A 24-Hour Institution for Improving Primary Health Care Accessibility: Evidence From China

JMIR Med Inform. 2023 Jan 9:11:e41212. doi: 10.2196/41212.

Authors

Dongliang Li^#¹, Rujia Zhang^#², Chun Chen^#², Yunyun Huang², Xiaoyi Wang², Qingren Yang², Xuebo Zhu², Xiangyang Zhang³, Mo Hao^#¹, Liming Shui^#⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
² School of Public Health and Management, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
³ Engineering Research Center of Intelligent Medicine (2016E10011), The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
⁴ Yinzhou District Health Bureau, Ningbo, China.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 36622737
PMCID: PMC9871876
DOI: 10.2196/41212

Abstract

Telehealth is an effective combination of medical service and intelligent technology. It can improve the problem of remote access to medical care. However, an imbalance in the allocation of health resources still occurs. People spend more time and money to access higher-quality services, which results in inequitable access to primary health care (PHC). At the same time, patients' usage of telehealth services is limited by the equipment and their own knowledge, and the PHC service suffers from low usage efficiency and lack of service supply. Therefore, improving PHC accessibility is crucial to narrowing the global health care coverage gap and maintaining health equity. In recent years, China has explored several new approaches to improve PHC accessibility. One such approach is the capsule clinic, an emerging institution that represents an upgraded version of the internet hospital. In coordination with the United Nations, the Yinzhou district of Ningbo city in Zhejiang, China, has been testing this new model since 2020. As of October 2022, the number of applications in Ningbo was 15, and the number of users reached 12,219. Unlike internet hospitals, the entire process-from diagnosis to prescription services-can be completed at the capsule clinic. The 24-hour telehealth service could also solve transportation problems and save time for users. Big data analysis can accurately identify regional populations' PHC service needs and improve efficiency in health resource allocation. The user-friendly, low-cost, and easily accessible telehealth model is of great significance. Installation of capsule clinics would improve PHC accessibility and resolve the uneven distribution of health resources to promote health equity.

Keywords: 24-hour clinic; China; United Nations; accessibility; big-data; capsule clinic; internet clinic; primary health care.

©Dongliang Li, Rujia Zhang, Chun Chen, Yunyun Huang, Xiaoyi Wang, Qingren Yang, Xuebo Zhu, Xiangyang Zhang, Mo Hao, Liming Shui. Originally published in JMIR Medical Informatics (https://medinform.jmir.org), 09.01.2023.