Training in Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Airway Diseases Gains Momentum, Urgent Need to Enhance Primary Healthcare Capacity

Recent training sessions on the diagnosis and treatment of chronic airway diseases have been consistently fully attended across the country, reflecting the primary healthcare sector’s urgent demand for standardized diagnostic and therapeutic techniques.

Since 2025, medical institutions nationwide have launched standardized training programs for chronic airway diseases. Initiatives such as the "National Capacity Building Training Program for Primary Healthcare Professionals in COPD" organized by Peking University Third Hospital, along with specialized workshops in Mudanjiang and Guangzhou, have received enthusiastic responses from grassroots medical staff.

This trend highlights the rapidly growing need within primary healthcare for standardized diagnosis and treatment technologies for chronic airway diseases, especially since chronic respiratory diseases have been included in the national basic public health services.

01 Intensive Launch of Training Programs

In late August, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Mudanjiang Medical University held a provincial continuing medical education program titled "Workshop on Standardized Diagnosis, Treatment, and Latest Advances in Chronic Airway Diseases."

The workshop focused on global health challenges such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and bronchial asthma. Several respiratory experts were invited to deliver lectures on topics including the latest advances in GINA 2025 guidelines and COPD treatment strategies.

Around the same time, the inauguration ceremony of the Guangzhou Medical Association’s Lung Oncology Branch and the "2025 Workshop on Latest Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Respiratory Airway Diseases" were also successfully held in Guangzhou.

02 Pressing Needs in Primary Healthcare

Chronic airway diseases are common and frequently occurring diseases in China, as well as a major condition affecting a large number of patients. Primary hospitals play a crucial role in the diagnosis and treatment of such chronic diseases.

Professor Chen Yahong, Deputy Director of the Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Peking University Third Hospital, pointed out that COPD, as one of the most common chronic airway diseases in China, has become a significant public health issue.

The inclusion of COPD in the national basic public health services imposes higher professional requirements on respiratory specialists.

03 Practical Focus of Training Content

Training courses across different regions are closely aligned with clinical needs. The program at Peking University Third Hospital included both theoretical instruction and practical operation.

Experts elaborated on key points of the "Health Service Standards for Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (Trial)" and updates in the "Chinese Guidelines for Primary-Level Diagnosis, Treatment, and Management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (2024)."

Practical training adopted an integrated "teach-practice-assess" model, with station-based skill assessments that guided participants in conducting pulmonary function tests and operating inhalation devices.

04 Development Opportunities for the Industry

As primary medical institutions enhance their capacity for diagnosing and treating chronic respiratory diseases, related medical equipment and respiratory rehabilitation products are encountering new development opportunities.

Intelligent respiratory therapy equipment, home-based respiratory rehabilitation products, and remote health management platforms are rapidly being integrated into the "hospital-community-family" holistic management model.

These products can support primary healthcare institutions in conducting health management for chronic respiratory diseases, help improve the level of prevention and treatment at the grassroots level, and provide effective respiratory rehabilitation solutions for patients’ families.

The wave of training in diagnosis and treatment of chronic airway diseases has swept across the nation. The fact that the General Hospital of Xichou County’s Integrated Healthcare Consortium held a "Training Workshop on Standardized Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Respiratory Diseases in Primary Hospitals at the County Level" on August 17 further confirms that this trend is extending to county-level primary healthcare institutions.

With the continuous implementation of training activities, the capacity of primary medical institutions to diagnose and treat chronic airway diseases will keep improving, ultimately benefiting a broad range of patients.