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Primary care reforms in managing chronic diseases in Xiamen, China: A tentative assessment
Author(s) -
Zeng Yanbing,
Yuan Zhipeng,
Chen Lele,
Wu Jielong,
Chen Fan,
Fang Ya
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
the international journal of health planning and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1099-1751
pISSN - 0749-6753
DOI - 10.1002/hpm.2854
Subject(s) - medicine , family medicine , community health , primary care , logistic regression , china , primary health care , nursing , environmental health , public health , geography , population , archaeology
Summary Background The primary care reform developed in Xiamen City stood out among the dozens of pilot reforms conducted in China. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the reform. Methods The data were collected from the Annual Statistical Report on Xiamen's Hospitals and face‐to‐face questionnaire interviews among physicians (n = 107) and community members (n = 399). Binary logistic regression was performed to analyze the factors influencing the community members' preference for treatment in community health centers (CHCs). Results The drug cost declined nearly 3.0% in hospitals, and outpatient visits increased more quickly (27.1%) in CHCs. A total of 86.2% of community members preferred to receive treatment for slight illness or chronic diseases in CHCs, and 77.9% of them were willing to be referred to CHCs during the recovery period. Patients who were managed by the general practice (GP) team showed higher percentages in examining and controlling blood pressure and blood glucose. Conclusion The reform in Xiamen was easily accepted by physicians and community members. The reform had rendered initial achievements in reducing drug income in hospitals, increasing outpatient visits in CHCs, seeking health care in CHCs, and controlling blood pressure and glucose for patients with chronic diseases.