Post-Acute Care in China: Development, Challenges, and Path Forward

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the evolution and challenges of China's post-acute care (PAC) system over the past 20 years and suggest actionable policy recommendations for its improvement.

Design: A retrospective review of policies and initiatives aimed at PAC system development, analyzed alongside unsolved challenges in light of global PAC practices, informed by literature reviews and collaborative discussion.

Setting and participants: PAC in China involves diverse settings such as general hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation centers, skilled nursing facilities, community health centers, and homes. The patients are mainly those discharged from acute hospitals with functional impairment and in need of continuous care.

Method: An extensive search of government policy documents, statistical sources, peer-reviewed studies, and the gray literature. The research team conducted literature reviews and discussions regularly to shape the findings.

Results: China has strengthened its PAC system through improved rehabilitation and nursing infrastructure, establishment of tiered rehabilitation networks, and adoption of innovative payment methods. However, challenges persist, including a lack of clinical consensus, resource constraints in PAC facilities and among professionals, the need for integrated care coordination, and the unification of PAC assessment tools and payment mechanisms.

Conclusions and implications: Although China has made substantial progress in its PAC system over 2 decades, continued efforts are needed to address its lingering challenges. Elevating awareness of PAC's significance and instituting policy adjustments targeting these challenges are essential for the system's optimization.

Keywords: China; Post-acute care; health care reform; health system; rehabilitation.