ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Continuing care is needed for the growing number of chronically ill patients who struggle with health problems after discharge. This study aims to elucidate the development process, functionalities, service protocols, and utilization of an Internet Plus Care (IPC) platform devised by our hospital to offer healthcare services to discharged patients. METHODS: This was a mixed study. After describing the development process, function and usage of IPC platform, we retrospectively collect data such as the general information of service recipients and service providers, service items, and service prices through the IPC platform from January 2021 to September 2023 to characterize these services. RESULTS: 69 nurses delivered a total of 788 services to 211 patients through the IPC platform. The majority of services (N = 652, 82.7%) were delivered offline, with almost half of the recipients (N = 384, 48.7%) being elderly individuals. 46.4% of nurses provided services ≥ 3 times. Furthermore, 26.5% of patients received services three or more times. Notably, patients' care requirements exhibited variations across age groups, with wound care (n = 243, 63.3%), pressure injuries care (n = 50, 13.0%), and replacement of indwelling nasogastric tubes (n = 20, 5.2%) emerging as the top three services favored by the elderly. CONCLUSIONS: The IPC platform demonstrates potential in delivering diverse health services to patients; however, the involvement of nurses and patients needs to be enhanced. It is necessary to implement relevant safeguard policies to promote the effective use of IPC platform for health management of discharged patients in the future. WHAT DOES THIS PAPER CONTRIBUTE TO THE WIDER GLOBAL CLINICAL COMMUNITY?: The prevalence of chronic diseases is on the rise, and patients with chronic diseases continue to struggle with health problems after discharge and require extended treatment and rehabilitation. Our study proves that IPC platform presents a promising avenue for addressing these challenges. It is anticipated that governmental authorities will undertake comprehensive policy, legislative, and medical insurance reforms to facilitate the extensive adoption of IPC platform-based services.
