Linshu county uses digital tools to improve health services for women and children

Linshu county in Linyi, East China's Shandong province, has embedded efforts to improve conduct and capability throughout maternal and child health services, using digital and intelligent tools to address practical concerns for residents.

Long queues and complicated procedures are among the most common complaints from patients. The county maternal and child health hospital made digital and intelligent development a key tool for improving services. In April this year, it began building a full-lifecycle health management system, with its information department visiting clinical departments to identify needs and frequently asked questions and building a knowledge base for automated replies. In September, an AI consultation function was launched on the hospital's WeChat official account, alongside an enterprise WeChat service channel, allowing residents to access round-the-clock automated consultation or one-on-one online answers.

The hospital has also expanded the benefits of digital services for public health programs. For free screening for breast and cervical cancer, it connected its business system with the official account so that reports can be checked on mobile phones, sparing residents trips to collect them. For kindergarten health checks covering the "five healths," reports are now pushed online and systematic medical records are established.

To raise its service standards, the hospital has studied the practices of the Qinhuangdao maternal and child health hospital in Hebei province, focusing on early childhood development, child rehabilitation and the "five healths" promotion program. Based on local conditions, it selected three kindergartens, two primary schools and one middle school in the urban area for a pilot exploring a "five healths screening plus AI full-cycle management" service model and building a closed-loop system covering prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation.

So far, the county has screened 8,436 people under the "five healths" program, with 8,143 actually screened, a completion rate of 96.53 percent. Abnormalities were found in 1,157 people, all of whom were included in closed-loop management. The model has been added to the county's list of innovative breakthroughs for high-quality medical and health development.

Through the "12345 hotline" channel, the hospital collects residents' demands and follows a mechanism of immediate response, time-limited resolution and follow-up, keeping resolution and satisfaction rates above 95 percent. Free breast and cervical cancer screening for women of eligible age has covered 9,500 people under closed-loop management. The hospital has also held five large free clinics, serving more than 2,000 residents.

Editor：韩蒙蒙