(ECNS) -- A patient sees a new doctor. Within seconds, his or her electronic file is available to the doctor, saving both the time it takes to figure out what's wrong.
This scenario is common in the UK, with British software company TPP hoping to bring similar services to Chinese patients and doctors in the near future.
TPP is among eight companies to demonstrate British prowess in the healthcare sector at the 25th China International Medical Equipment Exhibition & Scientific Conference (China Hospeq 2016) held in Beijing over the weekend.
The company has 18 years experience working with the UK's National Healthcare System. Their "one patient, one record" ethos keeps track of all clinical information, and allows healthcare professionals to access the most up to date patient information at a certain point of care.
Three years ago, TPP was brought to China by then British Prime Minister David Cameron. Now it has launched joint projects with both public and private hospitals in Nanjing, Ningbo, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
"Patient needs are our priority in designing software. We hope more Chinese patients can benefit from our service," said Hui-Chi Yeh, Director of TPP in China.
Yeh gave an example of how data shared by patients, under privacy terms, can further be put into meaningful uses.
"For example, if data indicate a surge in the diagnosis of respiratory diseases at a certain place in time, we can refer to the weather information to see whether it's attributed to air pollution. Then we can send warnings related to outdoor activities to clients via the platform."
Yeh said TPP is looking forward to more exciting possibilities in China given the country's sheer size of population, while the data collected is also of great value in diversifying the database.
Despite its benefits, Yeh admits there is a long way to go in integrating China's segmented healthcare system across different regions. She said she respects the different conditions in UK and China, and will work with local governments to address problems.
Statistics show China has become the world's second largest medical device market with an average growth of 20% year-on-year.
"China is moving fast and growth in the demand for healthcare is very high," said Kevin Holland, Minister-Counsellor and Director of Life Sciences, Healthcare and Social Care for China at UK's Department for Investment and Trade.
Other than heavy, standard medical equipment used in hospitals, British companies at the expo have put more smart, daily-use technologies on display. Holland said the hybrid of healthcare and data technology is a fascinating trend in the industry that bears future opportunities for cooperation with China, especially when the country is putting much emphasis on its primary and elderly care services.
Facing increasing challenges posed by an aging population and more cases of chronic diseases, China is planning to extend family doctor services to the entire population by 2020.
"That means big changes in the medical device industry as more general practitioners and small clinics may need smaller yet intelligent early diagnosis devices," Holland noted.
As for elderly care services, he said that the sector draws expertise from a lot of related industries and the UK is willing to pass on its experience to China in this field.
"In the UK, there are companies that build homes specially designed for the elderly. Other companies are specialized in technologies that help check the status of the elderly people at home and can send alerts for example in the case of them falling. We also have professionals that provide training for carers. All this expertise is something we can share with China," Holland said.
China Hospeq is an annual event supported by China's National Health and Family Planning Committee and local bureaus. Delegates from more than 50 countries and regions participated in this year's event.
