Publishing company has a hand in rural health in China

For patients receiving medical care outside China's big cities, access to the right medical information can mean the difference between life and death.

Understanding the need for quick, accurate diagnoses in rural settings, Wolters Kluwer Health, a Dutch medical information provider, signed an agreement with People's Medical Publishing House last month to bring top medical resources to the far reaches of China.

The renewed partnership centers on establishing advanced nurse training, especially in rural areas, an area the Ministry of Health wants to focus investment on.

"Improving the quality of nursing eases the job for doctors and helps improve quality of care," says Susan Driscoll, CEO of the profession and education business unit, Wolters Kluwer Health.

"So getting more highly trained and highly skilled nurses to help fill the gap is important."

China plans to establish a general practitioner system by 2020. China had about 80,000 general practitioners by the end of 2011, and the number is expected to rise to somewhere between 300,000 and 400,000 by 2020.

One way this is being achieved is by taking advantage of the increased movement of the publishing industry into digital channels, offering quick diagnoses online through a product called 5 Minute Clinical Consult.

Offering access to advanced reference materials, as well as an algorithm designed to create the most accurate diagnosis possible, the program is highly adaptable with services even offered through a mobile app.

"Everything we do is aimed at providing better information for doctors and nurses, not just during their education but throughout their career span," Driscoll says.

Doctors working in different regions throughout China will face different health challenges, she says, so working with local companies who have knowledge of what resources are needed is crucial.

"Working with the largest medical publishers in China, they'll take our textbooks or reference products and then adapt them to local markets.

"Obviously there are lot of people who need healthcare in China, and there aren't enough trained physicians to treat them."

The Ministry of Health says there are 1.32 doctors for 1,000 people in rural areas, and 3.03 for those in cities.

Wolters Kluwer Health has worked with People's Medical Publishing House since the 1990s, and the most recent agreement will strengthen the relationship and try to bring more Chinese medical information to a worldwide audience.

Already, the two companies have jointly worked on the translation and publication of more than 200 medical titles.

Chen Xianyi, chairman and president of People's Medical Publishing House, says: "By working with Wolters Kluwer we not only strengthen our position as the leader in medical and nursing publications in China, but also bring our Chinese authors and publications to the international arena."

As doctors worldwide increasingly look to incorporate traditional Chinese medicine into Western medical practice, the partnership will provide groundbreaking access to China's oldest form of medical treatments.

"Medical schools in the United States have now begun offering specialty training in traditional Chinese medicine," Driscoll says. "While still in the beginning stages, it's absolutely an area of interest for us. There's such a wealth of information here in China."

toddbalazovic@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 10/04/2013 page7)