According to Lin (1998), and reinforced by the findings of
this study, four main issues need to be addressed concerning
the development of nursing in China. First, nurses need to
be prepared to care for an increasing elderly population in
China. Second, the disease-centered model of care should be
replaced with a model designed for health maintenance,
promotion, and education. Third, the scope of nursing
services should be expanded to settings such as communities,
families, homes for the elderly, and health clinics. Fourth,
nursing education and continuing education should be
strengthened.
Lin (1998) reminded nurses of the importance of China
maintaining its unique cultural features while adopting
practices from the Western world. Traditional Chinese
medicine has been popular among Chinese for more than
4,000 years. Chinese nurses should recognize this valuable
tradition and develop models of nursing that accommodate
both Western and traditional Chinese health and care.