Objective To examine the demand and utilization of and participation in medical alliance service among medical professionals in Sichuan province and to provide references for promoting the construction and development of medical alliance in the province.
Methods Using stratified random sampling, we recruited 1 575 medical workers in medical institutions at various levels in 21 cities or prefectures of Sichuan province for a face-to-face questionnaire survey in January 2019.
Results Among the 1 280 respondents completing the survey, 85.6%, 74.7%, 80.5%, and 81.3% reported the demands on services of two-way referral, telemedicine, consultation guidance, and talent training which could be provided by a medical alliance; the proportions of the respondents reporting the utilization of the four service items were 32.1%, 16.3%, 24.5%, and 12.5%, respectively; there were significant differences in the proportions of reporting both the demands and the utilization of the four service items (all P < 0.001). Totally 411 respondents reported the participation in medical alliance service, with a participation rate of 32.1%. Of the respondents participating in medical alliance service, 41.8% and 16.8% considered that the service resulted in generally good and good effect; 50.6% and 49.4% regarded procedure management of two-way referral and patients′ demand for telemedicine as the main problem in the operation of medical alliance. Among the respondents not participating in medical alliance service, 41.4%, 28.9%, 21.1%, and 8.6% attributed the nonparticipation to not having time to participate due to busy work, disagreeing the necessity of medical alliance service, not having opportunity to be involved in the service, and not having been informed by administrative department.
Conclusion There is a big gap in the demand and utilization of medical alliance service and the rate of participating in the service is low among medical professionals in Sichuan province.
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