TITLE:
Supply-Demand Mismatch in Integrated Medical-Elderly Care Services: A Dual-Survey Study from Liuzhou, Western China
AUTHORS:
Qiuli Liang, Jiahe Wei, Liyun Qiu
KEYWORDS:
Integrated Medical and Nursing Care, Aged Care, Long-Term Care, Chronic Disease Management, Liuzhou
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.14 No.10,
October
23,
2026
ABSTRACT: To assess the current implementation status of integrated medical and nursing care services in Liuzhou, identify key barriers, and explore optimization strategies. From July to September 2025, a convenience sampling method was used to conduct a questionnaire survey among 3160 elderly residents in elderly care institutions in Liuzhou, collecting data on sociodemographic characteristics, health status, service needs, and awareness of integrated medical and nursing care. Concurrently, a supplementary survey was administered to 216 in-service nursing aides to examine workforce composition, salary satisfaction, and vocational training status. Among the elderly sample, 73.9% were aged 80 years or above, 71.8% had three or more chronic conditions, and 77.4% had varying degrees of disability. The most prevalent service needs were daily living assistance (37.3%) and basic nursing care (31.6%). The awareness rate of integrated medical and nursing care was 63.0%. The nursing aide survey revealed that 68.5% were aged 40 or above, 35.2% had education at or below junior high school level, over 70% had a monthly income below $446.4, only 34.7% were satisfied with their salary, and 51.4% had not received tiered training. The findings suggest a potential structural misalignment between resident care needs and workforce capacity. This interpretation is supported by the conjunction of high care demand among residents (77.4% with functional dependence) and constraints on the supply side (aging workforce, low salary satisfaction, and limited tiered training among nursing aides). However, direct measures of service capacity, staffing ratios, or service availability were not collected in this study. These findings point to several areas requiring policy attention, including resource distribution, service quality standards, and caregiving workforce development. Recommendations include establishing a tiered collaborative service network, introducing smart elderly-care technologies, and developing a remuneration incentive system linked to stratified training to systematically enhance regional service capacity.