Editor's Note: In the golden autumn season, colleagues from across the mountains and seas gathered together. The 2026 Cross-Strait Hematology Academic Conference was held in Zhuhai, Guangdong, from August 21 to 22. Hematology experts and scholars from both sides of the Taiwan Strait, as well as Hong Kong and Macao, gathered to exchange insights on cutting-edge developments, clinical practice, and innovations in nursing. During the conference, Oncology Frontier – Hematology Frontier invited Ms. Yan Xia of Peking University People's Hospital for an in-depth interview on the highlights of the nursing session, experience in establishing an infection prevention and control nursing system for haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT), and prospects for future exchanges and collaboration in hematology nursing across the regions.Oncology Frontier – Hematology Frontier: This conference featured a dedicated nursing session focusing on comprehensive nursing care and clinical practice for patients with hematological diseases. Against the backdrop of evolving treatment models and increasingly diverse therapeutic approaches, what is the significance of establishing a dedicated nursing session? What were the highlights of this year’s session in terms of content and format?
Yan Xia: I am very pleased to meet colleagues in Zhuhai and participate in this Cross-Strait Hematology Academic Conference. One of the highlights of this year’s conference was the invitation of Ms. Cai Huiru from the National Taiwan University Hospital to give a presentation on the practical implementation of case management. Case management is an innovative approach that has been increasingly adopted in hematology care in recent years. Last year, we also invited nursing colleagues from Taiwan to participate in discussions during the nursing session, although there was no keynote presentation at that time.
This year, Ms. Cai’s presentation gave us a more intuitive understanding of case management and the digital applications behind it, such as dedicated apps, while allowing us to learn from valuable experiences in transitional nursing care management. Dedicated nursing sessions have become a regular feature of conferences on hematology. Each year, we develop different themes based on advances in the field. This year’s nursing session closely focused on “cross-strait exchange,” covering comprehensive disease management, case management practices, and specialized infection prevention and control systems.
The most notable feature of this year’s nursing session was the more direct and in-depth exchange between colleagues from both sides. Participants shared and discussed their respective clinical nursing experiences extensively, creating a lively atmosphere of discussion and enabling everyone to benefit greatly. This is precisely the original purpose and distinctive feature of establishing this nursing session.
Oncology Frontier – Hematology Frontier: During the session, you presented on the “Infection Prevention and Control Nursing System for Haploidentical Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.” Patients undergoing haploidentical transplantation face a high risk of infection and complex disease management, making nursing care particularly important for infection prevention and control. Could you introduce the core components of this nursing system based on your clinical experience? What key aspects deserve particular attention during implementation?
Yan Xia: During this session, I introduced our work on establishing an infection prevention and control nursing system for haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. In 2024, this system received the Second Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress from the Chinese Nursing Association. This achievement represents the culmination of decades of in-depth research and the collective efforts of our team.
In hematopoietic stem cell transplantation nursing, infection prevention and control is one of the core challenges, and it is particularly critical in haploidentical transplantation. With the development of haploidentical transplantation technology, donor availability is no longer as restrictive as it once was, and almost every patient can find a suitable donor. This has given more patients who previously had no opportunity for transplantation access to the treatment. However, the expansion of the eligible patient population also means that patients may present with more complex conditions, making infection prevention and control increasingly challenging. Some patients, for example, already show signs of infection before transplantation, placing even greater demands on the nursing team.
Effective infection prevention and control depends on precise and meticulous nursing care, particularly care of the oral cavity, eyes, nasal cavity, and perianal skin. When I first entered the transplant ward, Academician Lu Daopei once told me, “Nothing in transplantation is trivial.” During transplantation, even seemingly minor changes can develop into infection risks. This is precisely why meticulous care of the mouth, eyes, nose, and perianal skin is so important. In addition to care of these critical sites, nutritional support, functional exercise, and psychological care are also indispensable components of the infection prevention and control system. Furthermore, transplantation is a systematic process, and post-transplant follow-up is equally an important part of infection prevention and control and should not be overlooked.
In summary, the infection prevention and control system for haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation should focus on three major areas: first, nursing care of critical sites susceptible to infection; second, nutritional support, functional exercise, and psychological care; and third, the establishment of a follow-up system. These three areas are the key priorities that deserve particular attention in our work.
Oncology Frontier – Hematology Frontier: Hematology professionals across the Taiwan Strait, Hong Kong, and Macao have maintained strong academic exchanges and collaboration. As an expert in hematology nursing, how do you view the prospects for professional exchange and development in hematology nursing across these regions? In what areas can collaboration be further deepened to achieve mutual improvement?
Yan Xia: Deepening academic exchange across the Taiwan Strait, Hong Kong, and Macao has always been a shared aspiration. As Director Xu Lanping advocated at the conference, we are eager to establish closer and deeper collaboration with colleagues from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. Such in-depth exchange will strongly promote the coordinated development of nursing in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and across the broader field of hematological diseases. By learning from one another and leveraging each other’s strengths, we can continuously improve the quality of nursing care and ultimately bring greater benefits to our patients.
In our daily clinical practice, we treat a large number of patients from Hong Kong and Macao. If deeper exchange and integration can be achieved in nursing care across the Taiwan Strait, Hong Kong, and Macao, it would greatly reduce the burden of cross-regional travel for patients seeking medical care. Medical treatment and nursing are inseparable components of healthcare. Therefore, I firmly believe that deeper exchange and integration in medical and nursing care across the Taiwan Strait, Hong Kong, and Macao will certainly become a reality in the future.
Expert Profile
Yan Xia
Department of Hematology, Peking University People’s Hospital
Chair, Nursing Committee, APBMT (Asia-Pacific Blood and Marrow Transplantation)
Member, Nursing Committee, EBMT (European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation)
Expert Consultant, Lymphoma Specialty Development Program, National Health Commission Capacity Building and Continuing Education Center
Chair, Hematology Nursing Branch, China Association of Pharmaceutical Education
Chair, Nursing Group, CSCO Anti-Lymphoma Alliance
Council Member, Intravenous Therapy Infection Prevention and Control Branch, Beijing Infection Control and Disinfection Technology Industry Association
Chair, Nursing Committee, Hematology Working Committee, Beijing Cancer Prevention and Treatment Society
Chair, Hematology Professional Committee, Beijing Nursing Association
Editorial Board Member/Peer Reviewer, Chinese Journal of Nursing / Chinese Nursing Management
Recipient, EBMT Saint-Antoine Outstanding Nursing Achievement Team Award, France (2018)
Recipient, Nursing Achievement Award / Nursing Science and Technology Progress Award, Beijing Nursing Association (2013/2017/2018)
Recipient, First Capital Outstanding Nursing Professional Award (2017)
Recipient of the “Respecting Life · Glorious Medical Professionals,” “Beautiful Angel,” “Heroes of Life,” and “Ordinary Heroes” honors (2018)
Published 4 SCI papers with a combined IF of 10.281, authored 10 books, contributed to 1 group standard, and published 71 papers
Led the development of the Expert Consensus on the Comprehensive Management Model for Patients with Lymphoma (2021 Edition) and the Expert Consensus on the Prevention and Nursing Care of Oral Mucositis in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Patients.
