From Guangdong to Xinjiang, cognitive screening policies are being rolled out nationwide, propelling cognitive screening equipment into the spotlight of the industry!
To address the growing issue of dementia among the elderly in China, a series of policies have been introduced at both national and local levels. These policies aim to establish a comprehensive management system covering the entire disease journey, including screening, diagnosis, treatment, and care. While these policies rarely specify requirements for screening equipment directly, they set concrete action goals and tasks, thereby guiding the application and development of relevant screening technologies.
I. Key Policy Points
National Action Plan for Dementia in Later Life (2024-2030)
Policy Level: National
Key Content:
1. Promote initial cognitive screening for individuals aged 65 and above, integrated with basic public health services.
2. Encourage the use of new screening technologies, such as digital tools and blood biomarker testing.
3. Establish a comprehensive disease management service system covering "screening-diagnosis-treatment-rehabilitation-follow-up."
Progress/Goals: By 2030, achieve comprehensive cognitive screening for older adults and establish a basic full-process prevention and control system.
Local Responses and Progress
Guangdong Province
Key Content:
1. Encourage the use of new technologies like digital screening and blood biomarker testing.
2. Encourage incorporating screening and early intervention into family doctor contract packages.
Progress/Goals: By 2030, establish a comprehensive and continuous prevention and control system.
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region
Key Initiatives:
1. Integrate cognitive function initial screening for individuals aged 65 and above into basic public health services.
2. Strengthen scientific and technological support to advance the development of new prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation technologies.
Progress/Goals: By 2030, achieve a cognitive function initial screening rate of ≥80% among the population receiving health management services for individuals aged 65 and above.
Chongqing Municipality
Key Initiatives:
1. Incorporate preliminary cognitive function screening for seniors into basic public health services.
2. Utilize transfer payment funds to conduct screenings in project districts/counties, integrated with health checkups or chronic disease management.
Progress/Goals: Launch the project in 15 districts/counties by 2024, aiming for full coverage of the Alzheimer's Prevention and Promotion Action across all districts/counties by the end of 2025.
Dongguan City
Key Initiatives:
1. Incorporate cognitive function screening for permanent residents aged 65 and above into annual free physical examination programs.
2. Achieve 100% screening coverage for institutionalized seniors aged 65 and above by 2025.
3. Strive to successfully develop and effectively promote relevant intelligent screening devices.
Progress/Goals: Fully complete early screening for cognitive impairment among the elderly by 2025.
Xi'an City
Key Initiatives:
Plans to procure a pilot project for screening elderly individuals with cognitive impairment, with a budget of 1.88 million yuan, covering approximately 180,000 elderly residents.
Progress/Goals: Procurement expected by May 2025, aiming to establish a three-tiered screening and prevention system for cognitive impairment along with a database.
II. Policy Impact and Equipment Business Opportunities Analysis
Current policy trends indicate that the Alzheimer's screening equipment market is poised for significant development opportunities:
01 Widespread screening creates enormous market potential: Mandatory national cognitive function screening for the elderly will generate sustained and extensive screening demand at primary healthcare facilities (community health service centers, township hospitals, etc.). Equipment suitable for large-scale, rapid initial screening (such as brief digital cognitive assessment tools) holds promising prospects.
02 Clear Direction for Technological Advancement: Policies explicitly encourage new technologies like digitalization and blood biomarker detection. This provides clear policy support for developing convenient apps, online cognitive testing platforms, and high-precision blood biomarker detection kits and related equipment.
03 Smart and integrated systems are emerging trends: Dongguan's policy explicitly promotes "intelligent screening devices," while multiple regions are building multi-tiered prevention networks and databases. This signals greater competitiveness for intelligent screening systems that integrate with regional healthcare information platforms, support data interoperability, and assist diagnostic decision-making.
III. ADDS Device: A Solution Precisely Aligned with Policy Requirements
Among numerous cognitive screening tools, the ADDS cognitive impairment screening device demonstrates unique policy compatibility:
Suited for Primary Care Screening Settings
The ADDS device features simple operation and rapid testing, making it highly compatible with the large-scale screening needs of primary care institutions such as community health service centers and township hospitals. Standardized operation requires no specialized personnel, effectively addressing the challenge of limited medical resources at the grassroots level.
Responding to the Call for Technological Advancement
As a digital screening device, ADDS directly aligns with policy directives encouraging the adoption of "digital" technologies. Its standardized assessment process eliminates the subjective biases inherent in traditional questionnaire-based screening, ensuring the accuracy and comparability of screening results.
Supporting Full-Cycle Disease Management
The ADDS device establishes electronic screening records, providing data support for building a comprehensive "screening-diagnosis-treatment-rehabilitation-follow-up" management system. This fully aligns with national planning requirements for constructing prevention and control networks.
Opportunity and Action: Seizing the Critical Policy Window
For medical institutions and related organizations, now is the prime time to deploy cognitive screening equipment:
Medical institutions should:
Actively apply for Alzheimer's disease prevention and control promotion projects to secure equipment procurement funding
Integrate ADDS devices into routine health checkups and chronic disease management workflows
Establish referral and follow-up mechanisms based on screening results
Relevant enterprises can:
Optimize device performance and user experience tailored to primary care needs
Develop data interfaces compatible with regional healthcare platforms
Provide comprehensive solutions spanning screening to intervention
Conclusion
With favorable policies now in place, the trend toward widespread, digital, and routine cognitive screening is irreversible.
Seize these policy dividends to build a cognition-friendly society-let us begin with a professional cognitive screening.