A doctor works with the AI-assisted diagnostic and treatment system. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

With the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G technology, Shanxi has built up intelligent medical platforms and achieved remarkable results in enhancing the medical service capabilities of its primary hospitals.

The intelligent platforms specifically include an AI-assisted medical diagnostic and treatment system and a 5G-based telemedicine service platform. The platforms were constructed by the Shanxi Health Commission in 2023 and are currently in trial operation.

In regard to the AI-assisted diagnostic and treatment system, doctor Wu from a health center in Nitun town, Taiyuan city, said that the most immediate benefit of using the system is the significant improvement in outpatient efficiency. The diagnostic process has become more standardized, concurrently reducing the risks of misdiagnosis and ensuring a safer patient treatment experience.

With its advantages in low latency, high capacity, and continuous wide-area coverage, 5G technology has become an essential network infrastructure for telemedicine. It has brought about more possibilities for medical services such as remote consultations, effectively alleviating the uneven distribution of medical resources.

The doctors conduct remote medical consultations via the 5G-based telemedicine service platform. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

So far, the AI-assisted diagnosis and treatment system has been deployed in 85 township health centers across five counties (county-level cities and districts), namely Yangqu, Yanhu, Wanrong, Gaoping, and Xiaoyi. It is now accessible to 1,335 grassroots doctors.

The 5G-based telemedicine service platform connects superior hospitals, including Shanxi Provincial People's Hospital, the first and second hospitals of Shanxi Medical University, and Shanxi Bethune Hospital with primary hospitals in the five places mentioned above, as well as the town and township health centers in Nitun, Mishan, Jiachu, Haizhou, and Gaoyang.

Through intelligent platform construction, Shanxi has integrated the form and content of its AI-assisted diagnosis and telemedicine services, effectively expanding the pool of experts for the telemedicine sector. This has further alleviated the uneven distribution of medical resources, reduced misdiagnosis rates, and lessened people's economic burden regarding medical treatment.