Kyung Hee University Medical Center(KHMC) said Tuesday it would introduce a 24-hour support service, from pre-visit consultation to post-treatment follow-up care for patients, using an intelligent chat robot in the first half of 2018.
The hospital will promote their "Patient-Centered Smart Hospital Platform Development Project" in cooperation with Twinney, a software company based in Daejeon.
Artificial intelligence (AI)-based patient care support technology, which is one of the representative intelligence information technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, is attracting much attention not only from the medical community but the general public as well.
Gachon University Gil Medical Center가천대길병원, Pusan National University Hospital부산대병원, and Konyang University Hospital건양대병원 have introduced “IBM Watson” for cancer treatment. Having already studied more than 300 medical journals, 200 medical textbooks, and 15 million pieces of medical information, Watson can summarize the patient's conditions while providing treatment and management methods for doctors.
Recently, Chonnam National University Hospital전남대병원, Hwasun Chonnam University Hospital화순전남대병원, and Chosun University Hospital조선대병원 announced that they would use Watson for cancer treatment from next month by providing multidisciplinary rooms where Watson can operate.
Most of the current hospital smart apps focus on limited convenience services for outpatients, including appointments, directions, parking assistance, and instructions for care. The 24-hour mobile inquiry center in KHMC can automatically communicate with people, providing information and support for those who need help anytime, anywhere, the hospital said.
Interactive services tailored to patient’s convenience include essential services for outpatients' symptoms, required referral guidance according to the patient's condition, post-treatment management, information on composition and function of the prescription drug, hospitalization and emergency room patient support, and advice on the management of diseases.
The system development and application process consists of selecting and collecting big cumulative data from medical workers in the hospital, applying the artificial intelligence chatbot system, and receiving and reflecting opinions of parents and other guardians.
"We have felt the limitations of the medical information system of the hospital-centered communication and need more efficient information and convenient services for the patients," said Dr. Lee Gil-yeon이길연, head of the specialized medical information data division in research and development at KHMC. "After the pilot application of Kyung Hee University Medical Center in the first half of 2018, and seven months of on-site feedback and improvement, we aim to commercialize the entire hospital in line with the establishment of the Humanitas Cancer Hospital."
Chun Young-seok천영석, CEO of Twinney, also expressed his enthusiasm for the project. “While many hospitals run smart hospital platforms, they remain on one-way information for outpatients only,” he said. "With this development, we will be able to utilize big data and artificial intelligence for patient convenience services.”