Good News II: The group standard “Technical Operation Specifications for Traditional Chinese Medicine—Triple Sequential Therapy for Rheumatism and Pain in the Treatment of Senile Osteoarthritis” has been officially released.

Recently, the group standard “Technical Operation Specifications for Traditional Chinese Medicine: Triple Sequential Therapy for Rheumatism and Pain in the Treatment of Senile Osteoarthritis” (T/GSGMA 001-2026), approved and initiated by the Gansu Provincial Society of Geriatric Medicine, has been officially released and put into simultaneous implementation, thereby filling a gap in the field of triple sequential therapy for rheumatism and pain. Sequential therapy A gap in the standardized diagnosis and treatment of osteoarthritis in the elderly.

As China’s population continues to age, osteoarthritis in the elderly has become a common and frequently encountered clinical condition. Older patients often present with multimorbidity, declining organ function, and reduced drug tolerance. Joint pain and limited mobility significantly impair their quality of life, underscoring the urgent need to establish specialized diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines tailored to this population and to provide authoritative guidance for standardized clinical care.

This newly released group standard was jointly drafted and developed under the coordination of the Rheumatology and Pain Rehabilitation Collaborative Innovation Professional Committee of the Gansu Provincial Society of Geriatric Medicine. Following similar group standards on the three‑step sequential therapy for rheumatic and painful conditions issued by relevant societies in Hunan and Guangdong, it represents the first domestic specialized operational guideline focusing on the three‑step sequential therapy for senile osteoarthritis, and can be widely applied across medical institutions at all levels to promote standardized diagnosis and treatment of this condition.

This standard is based on the consensus statements and group standards already issued in Hunan and Guangdong provinces. The full text comprises 9 chapters and 25 articles, and includes…   Ten appendices and 35 references systematically define the specialized terminology of the rheumatology–pain triple‑sequence sequential therapy and establish a dedicated comprehensive assessment framework for elderly patients with osteoarthritis; they also clarify oral administration, transdermal administration, Jingjin Special Needle Technique The standardized treatment guidelines for the “Three‑in‑One” approach refine individualized dosing regimens and key acupuncture techniques, drawing on more than 400 relevant domestic and international academic publications and the expertise of 30 frontline clinicians in Gansu Province. Based on survey data, a full‑cycle management pathway has been established—“individualized assessment, risk‑stratified intervention, and dynamic follow-up”—while simultaneously refining protocols for adverse event identification, emergency response, and long-term complication management. In light of the unique physiological characteristics of older adults, additional risk screening and tiered management measures have been incorporated, thereby addressing the previous gap in comprehensive standards that lacked detailed guidance tailored to age‑specific conditions.

The Rheumatism and Pain Triple‑Sequential Therapy was recognized as a National Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Achievement Project as early as August 2015, and over the past decade has been widely implemented in clinical practice across China. Within Gansu Province, numerous medical institutions have adopted this therapy for clinical treatment, and the province has established national‑, provincial‑, and several city‑level training centers for its application, supported by a wealth of experienced clinical experts. This project was launched in early 2025, with Director Wei Qiancheng of the Pain Department at Gansu Provincial Third People’s Hospital—also serving as Chairperson of the Rheumatism and Pain Rehabilitation Collaborative Innovation Professional Committee of the Gansu Geriatric Medicine Society—as its principal investigator. After undergoing multiple stages—including project approval, manuscript drafting, expert consultations, questionnaire surveys, and review by core specialists—the initiative was approved and officially released following more than a year of research, revision, and refinement.

Following the implementation of the new standard, a standardized, practical guideline will be provided to clinicians across the province for the diagnosis and treatment of osteoarthritis in older adults using the rheumatology–pain triple‑sequential therapy. This will further standardize the clinical application of appropriate traditional Chinese medicine techniques, reduce safety risks associated with diagnosis, treatment, and medication in very elderly patients, and support the development of a standardized diagnostic and therapeutic system for geriatric osteoarticular diseases in Gansu Province.

The Collaborative Innovation Professional Committee on Rheumatology and Pain Rehabilitation of the Gansu Provincial Society of Geriatric Medicine will implement new standardized guidelines, leveraging training centers at all levels across the province to conduct standardized physician training based on these updated standards. The committee will also participate in the national standardization framework for the three‑component sequential therapy for rheumatic and painful conditions, thereby safeguarding the musculoskeletal health of the elderly population throughout the province through standardized traditional Chinese medicine techniques.