The escort service is here, do you need it? (Big Health Observation)
Queue for patients to register, help to get medicines and reports, accompany doctors to see a doctor... In recent years, the escort service has gradually entered the public eye.
Data shows that in the past year, 26,000 people searched for "accompanying doctors" on Taobao.
According to incomplete statistics, there are more than 500 stores providing escort services on e-commerce platforms such as Taobao and JD.com, and the monthly sales of stores with good business reach thousands of orders.
The people who provide escort services are called escort doctors. The reporter found that their service targets are mostly the elderly, pregnant women, disabled people and other special groups.
At present, there are escorts in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and other cities, both freelancers and employees of nursing institutions.
The escort fee is generally calculated at 4 hours for half a day and 8 hours for a full day, which are 200 yuan and 400 yuan respectively.
Accompanying patients are mostly elderly
"Accompanying doctor" is a common name.
"In addition to accompanying patients to see a doctor, our main job is to help patients get examination reports, copy medical records, make appointments for examinations, pay for medicines, etc." In 2013, Ma Jian opened an errand shop on Taobao, which specializes in providing errand running agency services in Beijing.
"In the beginning, I didn't want to provide escort services, and slowly I started to get into this field when old customers asked me for help." He said.
In the past 9 years, according to Ma Jian's observation, most of the people who came to the store to place orders were young people, while those who saw a doctor were mainly the elderly.
"Most of them are children who place orders for their parents who come to Beijing from other places to see a doctor. Due to various reasons, these young people cannot accompany their parents to see a doctor. Peace of mind," he said.
Not long ago, an old man came to Beijing from Yunnan for medical treatment.
Her child was unable to accompany her for something, so she found Ma Jian on the Internet and told him not to tell his mother that he was an escort, "just a friend."
Ma Jianyi asked to pick up the old man at the train station. He first arranged accommodation for the old man near the hospital, and took the old man to the hospital for treatment the next morning.
"I told her that she doesn't need to worry about anything, just see a doctor with peace of mind, and I'll take care of the rest." Ma Jian said, from picking up numbers, paying bills, picking up orders, checking and receiving reports, the elderly don't have to worry about it, "I'm just like a child. She also accompanies the old man. Apart from communicating with the doctor when she sees a doctor, most of the time, she just needs to rest in a chair. When she finally sent the old man away, she was very grateful and said that she would send me a souvenir.”
A number of escort shops revealed that at least 60% of the people they serve are the elderly.
Xiaoyu, the owner of "Bab Mummy Shanghai Service Center", said that in the past two years, she has accompanied more than 1,400 unfamiliar elderly people to see a doctor, of which 90% were orders placed by children for their parents.
With the deepening of population aging, how the elderly can combat loneliness and adapt to the digital age has become a public issue.
Take the case of seeing a doctor for example, many hospitals require smartphones to make appointments, collect and pay bills, and view reports. This is not easy for many elderly people, especially those who don’t even know how to show their health codes.
Coupled with the fact that children are busy with work and have no time to leave, the demand for accompanying the elderly to see a doctor is gradually increasing.
Provide service with love
Who can provide escort services?
In Ma Jian's view, a high degree of education is not required, but rather sincerity, love and responsibility.
"The name 'accompanying clinician' sounds nice, but it has little to do with medicine. The escort clinic provides personalized services. Only by paying attention to the needs of patients can we satisfy customers." Ma Jian said, for example, some elderly people are older When he is old, his memory declines. After accompanying the consultation, he will call the old man's children again and explain in detail the precautions given by the doctor; he found that people tend to be nervous when seeing a doctor. He often chats with patients and pulls home, and because of this, he has won the trust of many patients.
Xiaoyu believes that this profession not only helps people solve practical needs, but also provides emotional counseling, and can also gain a sense of accomplishment.
Ma Jian felt the same way.
A few years ago, Xiaomin (pseudonym), a young mother in Zhuhai, Guangdong, was found to be in a bad condition locally. In addition, her child was still young, she was anxious and almost depressed.
Later, Xiaomin found Ma Jian, sent her various examination results and registered her number. Ma Jian took these documents to Beijing Tiantan Hospital to find a doctor.
"When the doctor said that there was no major problem, she burst into tears on the other end of the phone, and immediately had hope of living." Ma Jian said that at that moment, he felt indescribably happy, and he brought others to accompany him. And hopefully, make him feel that his work is meaningful.
Accompanying clinic needs standardized development
The reporter's investigation found that the current charging standards for escort services in different cities and different platforms are different.
The escort service is generally in units of half a day (4 hours) and full day (8 hours).
If you need to drive by car, there will be an additional charge.
According to Ma Jian, his fees are mainly charged according to time and distance. Based on years of experience, a half-day (4-hour) accompaniment usually charges 300 yuan.
Due to many uncertainties in the consultation, it is impossible to predict in advance how long it will take to accompany the doctor. In order to ensure good service, he generally reserves half a day for each customer.
The escort service is closely related to the vital interests of the masses. How do the public view the solution to this pain point in medical treatment?
"Support! Now some hospitals are very large, and the departments are very finely divided. The first time I went to the hospital, it felt like a maze. Someone familiar with the hospital could save a lot of trouble." Ms. Sun said that she accompanied her father to the hospital not long ago. Seeing a doctor, because I was not familiar with the process, it took me a long time to get it done. "At that time, I was thinking that it would be great if someone provided escort services, especially for groups with special needs such as the elderly and the disabled, escort services are still very good. Necessary."
Some are also cautious.
"What if I encounter a liar?" "What if there is an accident during the escort process?" "Medical services involve personal privacy, how to protect the privacy of patients?" "Who decides the charging standard?" In the opinion of few people, the escort doctor can indeed solve the pain points of some patients in medical treatment. It is hoped that there will be formal institutional management, and professional and standardized industry guidelines will be formed, so that people can purchase escort services with confidence.
In fact, the escort service has appeared more than ten years ago, but it has not yet formed a scale.
"Accompanying physicians" have not been included in the occupational directory, and there are no industry system norms and access standards.
In this case, in order to avoid disputes, many escorts will consciously avoid risks.
Some escort shop owners and escort companies have made it clear that patients with advanced age, high-risk diseases, and lack of self-care ability are beyond their ability. For such service objects, try not to accept orders.
In this regard, experts suggest that relevant departments should strictly review the qualifications of escort practitioners, clarify and refine the occupational catalog and classification, improve industry norms and methods, take multiple measures, strengthen guidance, and promote the standardized development of escort practitioners. its social value.
Wang Meihua