Pediatric asthma control system for Pudong

A pediatric asthma control system under a community management model is being established in the Pudong New Area.

Fourteen neighborhood health service centers, located in areas such as Lujiazui, Lianyang and Beicai, have opened asthma clinics for children.

These neighborhood health service centers are part of a pediatric system established by the Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Pudong New Area government and Fengxian District government.

The system includes 55 hospitals that between them cover more than three-quarters of Shanghai's eastern areas.

Childhood asthma is globally one of the most common respiratory disorders, and the top chronic disease for children, while the rate of uncontrolled and partially controlled paediatric asthma in China is over 90 percent, said Yin Yong, director of the medical center's department of respiration.

The project aims to provide standard treatment at communities for asthma children patients.

Under the plan, specialists of top-grade hospitals provide training for community doctors, improve medical equipment and establish a new cooperative asthma prevention and management system at communities.

Under the new system, these community health service centers have witnessed a significant increase of service capacity and outpatient service volumes.

Medical treatment costs have been cut by 26 percent compared with grade A hospitals, with the diagnosis time shortened as well, the center said.

The results in Pudong have been published in the medical journal BMJ Open.