2025/08/29 by Lai, Jin, Yang, Jingyi, Yu, Jianjiao +1
#FOS: Health sciences #Internet Plus #Medicine and Health Sciences #Nursing #Older People #Traditional Chinese Medicine
paper · doi:10.17605/osf.io/a2ztd
China faces a critical public health challenge due to its rapidly aging population and the high burden of non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs), which account for 73.4% of the national disease burden and 88% of deaths. With 264 million citizens aged ≥60 years, the healthcare system struggles to meet the complex needs of elderly patients, exacerbated by shorter hospital stays and reduced family caregiving capacity. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) nursing—including moxibustion, cupping, and acupoint therapy—offers a promising solution due to its holistic approach, cost-effectiveness, and high patient acceptance. The integration of TCM with digital health via China’s "Internet Plus Nursing Services" policy aims to bridge care gaps. However, operational challenges like standardization and scalability persist. This rapid review evaluates the effectiveness of Internet Plus TCM nursing for elderly chronic disease patients, focusing on clinical outcomes, satisfaction, and accessibility. It also identifies implementation barriers/facilitators (technological, organizational, policy-related) and provides evidence-based recommendations for optimizing service delivery and training. Following Cochrane rapid review methodology, the study synthesizes evidence from Chinese (CNKI, WanFang, VIP) and international databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, Web of Science). Searches combine keywords for TCM nursing, elderly populations, chronic diseases, and digital health. Screening, quality assessment (CASP), and data extraction will be performed by independent reviewers, with findings narratively synthesized to address research gaps and inform scalable solutions for China’s evolving healthcare landscape.