Elderly people in Weifang Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone in Shandong province are benefiting from medical care services thanks to a smart healthcare management system.

In November, Feng Ailian, a 62-year-old resident in the zone, received a video call from Zhuojing community healthcare station to remind her to be more aware of her high blood pressure. A doctor from the station said they received an alert from the station's smart healthcare platform about Feng's situation. After analyzing her symptoms, medicines and dietary habits, the doctor gave Feng new suggestions on dietary and drug use to help her to better control her blood pressure.

"The smart management system is very helpful because it takes care of us and saves our time in hospitals," Feng said.

The smart healthcare management system used by the healthcare station has been developed by Continuous Innovation, a company in the zone. Via a video call center, the system enables healthcare centers to provide remote services.

"The system reduces the workload of doctors in community centers because we can obtain firsthand information about a patient without leaving the healthcare center," said Cao Liangliang, director of Zhuojing community healthcare station.

"The system is convenient in helping us to collect basic information about patients in an emergency and to take care of elderly people," Cao added.

Apart from helping manage health, the system also allows elderly users to share photos and video call their friends and relatives.

In recent years, the zone has strived to develop a smart platform to enhance local healthcare management efficiency and quality.

The zone established 18,768 electronic patient records and has so far provided 37,000 services to patients. More than 20,000 families with elderly members are recorded in the system.

Xincheng subdistrict community healthcare center, Qingchi subdistrict community healthcare center, Zhuojing community healthcare station and Hanlin community healthcare station have invited elderly people to watch healthcare management-centered videos on the platform so they can learn more about disease prevention and management.

"We are developing a demonstration zone that combines healthcare and aging care under one roof so elderly people in the zone have access to healthcare and aging care," said Wang Qichao, deputy director of the zone's health bureau.

Zhuang Jian contributed to this story.