Perceived experiences of long-term care services among long-term care insurance beneficiaries and their family members: A qualitative interview study in Hunan Province, China.
Liduo Wang, Fenfang Lei, Xiaojun Ma and 5 others
PMID 42521385WHAT IT FOUND
Beneficiaries and family members found applications smooth and costs eased, but described unclear disability assessments, uneven caregiver quality, basic care lacking medication management, monitoring, and rehabilitation support, and still paid more than 30% out of pocket.
Key findings
01All interviewees reported that applying for long-term care services was relatively smooth, that materials could be submitted offline or online, and that processing took 15 to 20 working days.
02Ten interviewees reported that long-term care services focused mainly on basic daily living assistance and lacked professional nursing components such as medication management, rehabilitation support, and vital sign monitoring.
03Respondents said insurance reduced household financial burden, but they still paid more than 30% of care costs out of pocket, and items such as assistive devices and medical supplies were not reimbursed.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was limited to one pilot city in Hunan Province, so the experiences may not represent other regions or health systems. The sample was small: 13 beneficiaries and 13 family members. Participants were purposively selected and had to be able to express their experiences clearly, so people with more severe cognitive, communication, behavioural, or medical problems may not be represented. All beneficiaries were assessed as severe disability level 1, so findings may not apply to other disability levels or service needs. The study reports perceptions and experiences; it does not measure clinical outcomes, service quality objectively, or whether identified problems caused harm. Family members were paired with beneficiaries, and their perspectives may differ from the beneficiaries' own experiences.
Declared interests
Funded by the Hunan Provincial Department of Education Foundation. The funding institution did not participate in design, implementation, or data analysis. The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that long-term care insurance improves clinical outcomes or service quality. It reports perceptions from 26 participants in one province and does not test health effects.