Taiwan's advancements in AI semiconductor technology are at the forefront globally, and when integrated into healthcare, this innovation is poised to become Taiwan's "second guardian of the nation." Andrea T. J. Hsu, Director of the Department of Academia-Industry Collaboration and Science Park Affairs at the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), stated that the application of AI hardware and software will increasingly be incorporated into the healthcare system. This will help address the demands of a super-aged society by 2025 through health data analysis and digital tools for detection, ultimately improving the quality and capacity of medical care.
Smart healthcare offers significant benefits to patients, including error prevention and workload reduction. For instance, traditional MRI interpretation requires physicians to locate lesions, annotate, and diagnose, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive. With AI-assisted interpretation systems, data recording can be automated within a minute, aiding physicians in making accurate diagnoses more efficiently.
AI-powered smart healthcare has become a growing trend. Hsu emphasized that NSTC began connecting various industries four years ago, fostering cross-sector alliances between academia, medicine, and industry to expedite field validation for smart healthcare products. The COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity to test AI's new functionalities for telemedicine. Over the past four years, NSTC has driven the "Smart Healthcare Academia-Industry Alliance Program," forming an AI national team of medical centers, with 18 active projects accelerating the development of Taiwan’s smart healthcare ecosystem.
Chih-Chi Wang, Superintendent of Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, shared that with the support of the Smart Healthcare Academia-Industry Alliance Program, the hospital developed the AI-powered HOPES (Hepatoma-Omics-Patient E-Journey System) platform. This system, based on a timeline concept, integrates patient treatment journeys for liver cancer, including medical records, radiological images, and treatment methods, compiling data to build AI models that aid in clinical decision-making.
Wang highlighted that the HOPES platform, co-developed with Microsoft and supported by other tech giants' innovations, enhances the accuracy of clinical trials, treatment, and patient care through advanced technology. He clarified that AI acts as an auxiliary "co-pilot" for physicians rather than replacing them, reducing errors and improving healthcare services.
Kaohsiung Chang Gung has continuously innovated in liver cancer treatment, and Wang believes that due to the relative scarcity of comprehensive liver cancer databases compared to other cancers, leveraging precision medicine offers a competitive advantage. Through the Smart Healthcare Academia-Industry Alliance Program, the hospital focuses on liver cancer precision medicine strategies and integrated outcome assessments to provide patients with better solutions.
Zhangbin Show Chwan Memorial Hospital has been developing an international smart minimally invasive medical field. Shi-Wei Huang, Superintendent of the Central Region Hospital of the Show Chwan Health Care System, noted that the research team focuses on the patient journey in urology, using AI to support preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative imaging analysis, significantly enhancing surgical safety and efficiency. He emphasized that AI can be an invaluable tool for physicians and is increasingly critical in improving medical quality and hospital management.
Huang also mentioned that the Show Chwan Health Care System has long invested in developing minimally invasive surgery and medical robotics, including 2D-to-3D medical imaging processing technology, surgical robots, and smart whiteboard systems for nursing stations. These successful real-world applications will be exported under the Taiwanese brand, reinforcing Taiwan’s international reputation in smart healthcare.
NSTC, through the Smart Healthcare Academia-Industry Alliance Program, centers its initiatives on "Healthy Taiwan" by integrating resources from industries, academic institutions, and medical facilities, fostering collaborations between ICT flagship companies and hospitals. Hsu stated that the program will continue to incorporate remote care technology, expanding from clinical applications to home, community, and institutional settings to promote comprehensive, cross-age care and achieve the vision of precision health.
Resource (mandarin): 「第二座護國神山」 智慧醫療幫助醫師精準判斷
