Internet hospital services in a tertiary hospital in Beijing

Background The national health policy suggests that all medical institutions should actively adopt information technology, strengthen internet + medical services, optimize diagnosis and treatment services, and strengthen internet service supply.

Objective To identify the appropriate group for online diagnosis and treatment, and provide reference for the construction of online diagnosis and treatment in public hospitals by analyzing the development of online diagnosis and treatment in Beijing Shijitan Hospital.

Methods The processes of online diagnosis and treatment in Beijing Shijitan Hospital from 2020 to 2022 were analyzed.

Results We found that the number of internet medical consultations increased year by year. In 2022, the total number of consultations increased by 131.4% compared to 2021, with relatively high number for specialty departments such as gynecology, obstetrics, oncology, and allergy, accounting for a total of 89%. Gynecological consultations were the highest, accounting for 59.2%. The average online consultation time was 9.25 minutes/person, higher than the offline consultation time (5.10 minutes/person), indicating that doctors spent more time in communicating with patients during online consultations. Among patients who chose internet medical consultations, the majority of patients aged 19-40 years old, accounting for 63.27%. Female patients accounted for 90.62% and patients with medical insurance accounted for 66.67%, both of which were relatively high. In addition to routine consultations, prescription medications accounted for 13.70%, testing accounted for 76.92%, and medication delivery services accounted for 28.89%, indicating that the demand for appointment scheduling for testing was the most common in internet medical consultations.

Conclusion Young people aged 19-40 years are the main target group for online diagnosis and treatment. To improve online diagnosis and treatment services, hospitals should focus on their specialty, strengthen medical insurance services, expand their service scope, and meet the needs of medical insurance patients, and constantly adapt to the changing demands of online diagnosis and treatment services.