Modernization

Troops Have an 'AI Medical Companion' at Their Side, Providing Efficient and Convenient Healthcare Services Around the Clock

官兵身边有个“AI陪诊员”，全天候提供高效便捷的就医服务

PLA Daily (解放军报) 19 May 2026

Summary

The Second Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University has deployed an AI-powered mobile mini-program called 'Changzheng Little Assistant' that provides end-to-end outpatient navigation, remote diagnosis, cloud-based specialist consultation, and post-visit follow-up to PLA personnel, including sailors on active far-seas deployments. The article documents a concrete institutional problem—military personnel losing time to procedural unfamiliarity at garrison hospitals and lacking timely medical access during extended maritime missions—and records the hospital's answer: an indigenously developed system with a built-in security architecture (identity desensitization, tiered data classification, military-dedicated servers) designed to enable remote clinical care without exposing unit affiliation or position. The case of Staff Sergeant Xiao Wang receiving a lumbar disc herniation assessment and specialist handoff while underway extends the documented pattern of PLA medical units integrating AI into deployed 卫勤保障, and raises the question of how broadly this remote-consultation model is being standardized across naval medical infrastructure versus remaining a single-hospital initiative.

Translation

The 'AI Medical Companion' at Troops' Side

■ Liu Jian, PLA Daily Reporter Sun Xingwei

"I'm here for a follow-up on a training injury—which route should I take?" "When will my test results be ready, and where do I pick them up?" Recently, this reporter entered the outpatient hall of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University and observed several officers and soldiers quietly directing questions at their phones. Within seconds, the mini-program "Changzheng Little Assistant" (长征小助手) returned clear and accurate guidance. This scene is a snapshot of the hospital's use of artificial intelligence to empower medical support (卫勤保障) and serve combat readiness.

In the past, what troops feared most about seeking medical care was unfamiliarity with procedures, having to ask repeatedly, and running back and forth. Many officers and soldiers, unfamiliar with the hospital layout and the patient flow process, routinely wasted large amounts of time at stages such as waiting for consultations, undergoing examinations, and collecting reports.

"AI is advancing rapidly, and military hospitals must also put this technology to use for our own purposes." To address the problems troops faced, the hospital organized relevant experts and technical personnel to independently develop a mobile mini-program called "Changzheng Little Assistant" using AI technology, providing around-the-clock medical services to officers and soldiers—after an appointment is booked, it automatically generates a personalized visit route, precisely marks department locations, and pushes real-time waiting reminders and examination locations; once examinations are complete, it intelligently reminds users when to collect their reports and interprets the key findings; after the consultation is finished, rehabilitation advice, medication guidance, and follow-up arrangements are delivered with a single tap.

Opening the "Changzheng Little Assistant" mini-program, this reporter found that beyond patient navigation, it also integrates multiple functions including online follow-up consultations, remote diagnosis and treatment, and inpatient billing settlement. Whether before, during, or after a consultation, officers and soldiers can complete the entire process via their phones or self-service terminals, substantially reducing time spent waiting in line.

Not long ago, Staff Sergeant Xiao Wang of a naval unit was executing a far-seas training mission aboard ship when he suddenly experienced severe lower back pain. He opened "Changzheng Little Assistant" and uploaded photos of the affected area along with a description of his symptoms. The AI system rapidly cross-referenced a training injury database and made a preliminary determination of acute-phase lumbar disc herniation, immediately pushing remote consultation guidance and emergency pain management instructions. At the same time, the system simultaneously forwarded Xiao Wang's condition to the hospital's orthopedic specialist team, initiating a "cloud-based consultation" (云端会诊).

The specialist team quickly combined the AI-generated preliminary assessment report to provide a detailed professional remote treatment plan, guiding the ship's medical officer in carrying out emergency management. In addition, "Changzheng Little Assistant" booked Xiao Wang an appointment with a specialist for after the ship's return, automatically planning the visit process and examination items to ensure that upon arriving at the hospital he could proceed directly to treatment without waiting in line. In the end, after the mission concluded, Xiao Wang completed standardized treatment in just three days. "'Changzheng Little Assistant' is like a 'caring medical companion,' allowing us to enjoy efficient and convenient medical services even while executing missions," Xiao Wang remarked.

This reporter learned that in advancing AI-empowered medical support, the hospital has consistently maintained a dual-track approach of "technical safeguards plus confidentiality review" (技防+保密审查). Online consultations for military personnel and their dependents employ a triple-protection mechanism of identity desensitization, tiered data classification, and access logging throughout the entire process; diagnostic and treatment data are stored on military-dedicated servers and cannot be transmitted externally or traced back in reverse at any point. When Xiao Zhang, an officer from a certain unit, was unable to come to the hospital due to training mission requirements and conducted an online follow-up consultation through "Changzheng Little Assistant," the system automatically concealed sensitive information such as his unit and position, completing the entire process of consultation, prescription, and billing settlement using only a dedicated treatment identification number—both convenient and secure.

From a quiet question in an outpatient hall to the protection of lives across ten thousand li of maritime frontier; from fingertip convenience to hard-core support on the battlefield—"Changzheng Little Assistant" is not merely an intelligent platform but is also driving the intelligent upgrade of the entire medical support chain (卫勤保障链条). Hospital leadership told this reporter that in the next phase, they will continue to expand the scope of application, allowing smart healthcare to reach directly to combat positions (战位), directly to officers and soldiers, and directly into the deep blue, using the power of science and technology to safeguard the health of the troops.

Original Chinese

官兵身边的“AI陪诊员” ■刘健解放军报记者孙兴维 “我来复查训练伤，该走哪条路线？”“检查报告什么时候出、在哪里取？”近日，记者走进海军军医大学第二附属医院门诊大厅，看到几名官兵正对着手机轻声问询。几秒钟后，手机小程序“长征小助手”便给出清晰准确的指引。这一幕，正是该医院以人工智能赋能卫勤保障、服务备战打仗的一个缩影。据了解，过去官兵就医最怕流程不熟、反复询问、来回奔波。不少官兵因不熟悉院区布局、不了解就诊流程，常常在候诊、检查、取报告等环节耗费大量时间。 “如今AI迅猛发展，部队医院也要将这一技术‘为我所用’。”针对官兵面临的问题，该医院组织相关专家和技术骨干，利用AI技术自主研发出一款手机小程序“长征小助手”，全天候为官兵提供就医服务——预约挂号后，自动生成个性化就医路线，精准标注科室位置，实时推送候诊提醒和检查地点；检查结束，智能提醒报告领取时间，并解读报告要点；就诊完成，一键送达康复建议、用药指导、复诊安排。点开“长征小助手”小程序，记者发现，除了导诊，它还集合了线上复诊、远程诊疗、住院结算等多个功能。无论是诊前、诊中还是诊后，官兵都可通过手机或自助终端完成全流程操作，大大减少了排队等待时间。不久前，海军某部上士小王随舰执行远海训练任务，腰部突发剧痛。他打开“长征小助手”，上传疼痛部位照片和症状描述。AI系统快速匹配训练伤数据库，初步判定为腰间盘突出急性期，并实时推送远程问诊与应急止痛指导。同时，系统同步将小王的情况推送至医院骨科专家团队，开启“云端会诊”。很快，专家团队结合AI生成的初步评估报告，详细给出专业远程诊疗方案，指导舰上军医进行应急处理。此外，“长征小助手”还为小王预约了返航后的就诊专家号，自动规划好就诊流程与检查项目，确保他来院后无需排队、直接进入诊疗环节。最终，小王在任务结束后，只用3天时间就完成了规范治疗。“‘长征小助手’就像一个‘贴心陪诊员’，让我们在执行任务期间也能享受到高效便捷的医疗服务。”小王感慨地说。记者了解到，在推进AI赋能卫勤保障过程中，该院始终坚持“技防+保密审查”双轨并行，军人军属线上就诊全程采用身份脱敏、数据分级、访问留痕三重防护机制，诊疗数据存储于军队专用服务器，全程不可外传、不可逆向溯源。某部干部小张因执行训练任务无法到医院，依托“长征小助手”进行线上复诊时，系统自动隐去了他的单位、职务等敏感信息，仅以专属诊疗编号完成问诊、开药、结算全流程，既方便又安全。从门诊大厅的一句轻声问询，到万里海疆的生命守护；从指尖上的便捷服务，到战场上的硬核支撑，“长征小助手”不仅是一个智能平台，更驱动着整个卫勤保障链条的智能化升级。该医院领导告诉记者，下一步，他们还将持续拓宽应用范围，让智慧医疗直通战位、直达官兵、直抵深蓝，用科技力量守护官兵健康。