(Photo: Beijing Youth Daily)

“Madam, you can go home today! But you are not allowed to leave until you score over 85 in the exam,” said a nurse jokingly to an elderly patient.

Recently, the orthopedics department of the Central Hospital in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, launched a novel initiative, requiring patients to take an exam before leaving the hospital. Reportedly, the exam contains 11 questions related to the patients' condition, dietary habits, medicine dosage, physical exercise and follow-up treatment.  

“Orthopedic diseases usually take a long time to fully recover from and rehabilitation training plays a major role in this process. This is why we want to use the test to remind patients of the significance of following the instructions,” said Shan Hui, head nurse of the orthopedics department.

For those who are too old to remember and master the knowledge, their children or caregivers will be asked to sit the exam, making sure they will take care of patients as instructed.

This special measure has ignited heated discussion online, with many people commenting jokingly that poor students can't get sick. Others lauded it as a guarantee against the potential risk of inappropriate care at home.

(Compiled by Shen Feng)