A BMC Medical home respiratory therapy device is placed in a living room. Advances in home respiratory care are enabling more patients with chronic respiratory diseases to receive long-term treatment outside hospitals. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
China is shifting chronic respiratory disease management beyond hospitals toward home-based care, as policymakers, clinicians and medical-device makers promote earlier screening and long-term digital monitoring, creating new opportunities in one of the country's fastest-growing healthcare markets.
The move reflects a broader effort to address one of China's biggest chronic disease burdens while easing pressure on the country's healthcare systems as the population ages. Nearly 100 million people suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), while an estimated 176 million have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to data cited in newly released recommendations jointly issued by the China-Japan Friendship Hospital, MD Weekly and a multidisciplinary expert committee.
The recommendations, based on nationwide surveys of 1,000 members of the public and 319 physicians, call for a shift from hospital-centered treatment to continuous disease management spanning public awareness, early screening, standardized diagnosis, home therapy and long-term follow-up.
