Transforming Long-term Post-Acute Care for the Aging Population through Home Infusion Therapy in China: An Assessment of Need and Demand (Part 1)

Zi Yin Zhou^1*Wei Zuo^1,2Dylan Do^3,4Austin-Phong Nguyen⁴Connie Vo^4,5Tu Tran^4,6Dan Mei²Shaohong Wang²Shan Li⁷Jianchun Yu⁸Hong Yang⁹Wei Chen¹⁰Bin Zhao²Luke Hoang¹Michelle Le^1,4Franco WT Cheng¹¹Iris J. Chang¹²Jennifer Le^1,13,4

• ¹Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, La Jolla, United States
• ²Department of Pharmacy, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China
• ³Dartmouth College, Hanover, United States
• ⁴Tylan Health, El Monte, United States
• ⁵Comfort Home Health & Hospice Care Inc., Long Beach, United States
• ⁶Huntington Health, Pasadena, United States
• ⁷Department of Medicine Intensive Care Unit, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China
• ⁸Department of General Surgery, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China
• ⁹Department of Gastroenterology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China
• ¹⁰Department of Clinical Nutrition, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China
• ¹¹Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
• ¹²The Practising Pharmacists Association of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
• ¹³Center on International Pharmacy Education and Research, University of California San Diego, San Diego, United States

Background: China's healthcare system is confronting a rising burden of antimicrobial resistance, chronic complex diseases, and an aging population requiring long-term, post-acute care. As a value-based care model in the USA for over 50 years, home infusion therapy (HIT), combined with home health services (HHS), presents a sustainable alternative to prolonged hospitalization for intravenous medication administration. In this two-part narrative review, Part 1 provides a needs assessment describing the demographic, clinical, and public health factors driving the demand for HIT and HHS in China. Methods: We conducted a literature search up to January 2026 using MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. Results: In Part 1, we present the impact of the aging population and chronic conditions requiring prolonged infusion therapy (including cancer, malnutrition and infections like osteomyelitis, endocarditis, and bacteremia) on the rising antimicrobial resistance, hospital burden and healthcare expenditures. Through the patient-centric solution of HIT and HHS, patients can receive intravenous medications and nutrition in the comfort of their homes, enabling the continuity of care beyond the hospital. Services include outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy, hospice and palliative care in patients with cancer, and management of nutritional needs through total parenteral nutrition. Under this care model, reimbursement is tied to success in improved patient outcomes and reduced hospital readmissions. A detailed reimbursement and cost-effectiveness considerations are addressed in Part 2 of this review. Conclusion: With proper infrastructure development and reimbursement mechanisms that align payment with value, HIT and HHS could mitigate antimicrobial resistance, and transform and sustain affordable care delivery in China, especially for older adults and those with chronic conditions.