Experts are calling for the regulation of share nurse services

Experts are calling for the development of regulations governing share nurse services, as the new model of medical care is rolled out in east China's Shandong and Fujian provinces, reports Chinanews.com.

A pediatric nurse cares for a child in a pediatric ward. [Photo: Chinanews.com]

A growing number of mobile apps allow users to book a nurse to provide home-based care, including postoperative care, and traditional Chinese medicine.

According to a staff member working with one of the service providers, the nurses should have a license to practice. The platform also purchases insurance for the nurses and patients.

Share nurses can help address the basic care needs of the elderly, along with medical care for discharged patients, while at the same time helping nurses to boost their professional value and income, says Lin Xingfeng, from the Shandong University Second Hospital. But Lin also points out that patients with specific needs have to be matched with nurses that have relevant skills, and regulations are needed to deal with the potential medical and legal risks associated with the services.

But Zhang Hu, a partner at Deheng Law Offices in Jinan, has a blunt warning about the legal risks attached to these services. "The service offered by registered share nurses violates the current practicing regulations, and is illegal."