Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Capacity of Community Health Institutions in Beijing: Current Status and Recommendations for Problems

ABSTRACT

Background: During the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Beijing's community health institutions showed some weaknesses in infectious disease prevention and control. To improve their capabilities in this aspect to fully play their role as a sentinel for monitoring infectious diseases, it is urgent to investigate and analyze their current status to find problems, then put forward recommendations. Objective: To investigate the infectious disease prevention and control level in Beijing's community health institutions, and identify and analyze the problems, with suggestions put forward. Methods: From May to July 2020, a questionnaire survey was conducted in all community health centers(CHCs) in Beijing. Information was collected, including the basic situation, departments, staff structure, infrastructure situation, the provision of public health services, and emergency response capacity for infectious diseases and public health emergencies of the CHC, and was analyzed using descriptive analysis. The above-mentioned data were checked and supplemented if necessary in accordance with the information in the China's National COVID-19 Surveillance Network and Beijing Community Health Statistics 2019. Results: Of the 342 CHCs in total in Beijing as of 2019, 90(26.32%) had a fever clinic, 102(29.82%) had a gastrointestinal clinic, and 54(15.79%) had both a fever clinic and a gastrointestinal clinic. Among the incumbent workers in the CHCs(n=28 809), 2 887(10.02%) held a position in public health, and 178(6.17%) had a senior professional title. HIV testing was carried out in 159 CHCs(46.49%). SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid testing was accessible in 11 CHCs(3.22%). For 29 kinds of common infectious diseases, 140(40.94%) CHCs had no diagnosis and treatment capabilities, 135(39.47%) had capabilities managing 1-5 kinds, only 29(8.48%) were able to diagnose and treat >10 kinds. Conclusion: The CHCs in Beijing may have a series of problems in the infectious disease prevention and control system and mechanism, sentinel fever clinic, infectious disease diagnosis and treatment capacity, public health workforce development and other aspects. Therefore, the infectious disease prevention and control plan of the CHCs should be developed more appropriately from an overall point of view, to address the problems and improve the current status as soon as possible. Copyright © 2021 by the Chinese General Practice.