IT-Powered Online Healthcare Services Assist China's Fight Against Novel Coronavirus

[Tuchong]

BEIJING, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) — Online healthcare services have been assisting the fight against the novel coronavirus in China, thanks to the application of information technology in medical systems.

Based on 5G and other information technology, many Internet healthcare service providers have cooperated with doctors and experts all over the country to provide services such as online consultation, online diagnosis and psychological assistance, making it possible for people to consult with a doctor at home and helping prevent and control the epidemic in an intelligent way.

For example, JD Digits, the digital technology arm of Chinese tech giant JD.com, recently launched a type of intelligent robot, which can provide users with online consultation and inform the public about epidemic prevention and control.

After learning coronavirus-related knowledge, the artificial intelligence-based robot can perform a basic analysis of users' questions, supporting doctors' diagnosis and treatment. The robot has been applied in the WeChat public accounts or apps of nearly 20 organizations and used by many smart communities.

The health branches of Alibaba Group, Baidu and many other Chinese Internet companies have also unveiled intelligent services to answer questions on the epidemic.

Online consultation is the first step in digital health, said Li Dewen, deputy director of the information center under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), stressing that efficient human-computer interaction can reduce the workload of hospitals and cut cross-infection risks.

Moreover, with the connection to intelligent technology and Internet platforms, medical institutions and doctors are able to provide online diagnosis service, which is key to achieving the informatization of the medical system and digital health in China.

A total of 191 public medical institutions and nearly 100 Internet hospitals across the country have made online diagnosis available for people, data from the MIIT showed on Feb. 9.

Haodaifu, Chunyuyisheng and Ping An Healthcare and Technology Co. Ltd. have gathered over 10,000 medical professionals in the fields of respiratory systems, infections and internal medicine to provide free consultation and diagnosis for patients.

They have also set up hotlines, offering psychological aid for doctors and nurses on the front line of the anti-virus fight.

The MIIT said it will work with related departments to promote the application of information technology in the healthcare service sector, while making efforts to increase the use of 5G to boost the informatization of medical systems, the intelligence of medical equipment and the convenience of online medical platforms.

(Source: Xinhua)