Taipei Medical University (TMU) Health announced that its healthcare system has fully adopted Inventec Corporation’s “SmartMed Infusion System”, becoming the first in Taiwan to implement a fully connected smart infusion system across. It includes Taipei Medical University Hospital, Wan Fang Hospital, Shuang Ho Hospital, and Hsin Kuo Min Hospital, totaling 1,080 smart infusion pumps. SmartMed Infusion System enables real-time monitoring to ensure patient safety and significantly reduces the nursing workload by minimizing the need to manage infusion interruptions, setting a new milestone in smart infusion field in Taiwan.

TMU Chairman Ray-Jade Chen stated that the TMU Health achieved full integration of HIS 3.0 this year across its four hospitals, incorporating generative AI (GenAI) as part of daily operations. The "Digital, Precision, Regenerative" model includes digital pathology, genetic testing, and cell therapy, which are now foundational to clinical care. The system-wide adoption of SmartMed Infusion System is not only a crucial step in enhancing infusion safety but also a major milestone in TMU Health’s advancement toward smart healthcare. With a focus on patient safety, TMU Health also employs GenAI-driven innovations and integrates digital and physical resources to enhance medical information systems and equipment, establishing a strong foundation for a smart ward and marking significant progress toward a smart hospital.

TMU President Mai-Szu Wu emphasized the "One Campus" concept leading TMU Health’s future vision. The collaboration with Inventec in implementing the SmartMed Infusion System uses advanced digital technology, IoT, and automation to optimize the healthcare environment. This initiative is a concrete realization of smart ward characteristics, focusing on improving patient safety and comfort while reducing the workload on healthcare professionals, ultimately moving toward efficient, precise medical care.

Inventec Vice President for Medical Electronics Business Ching-An Tseng highlighted that the SmartMed Infusion System includes self-developed SmartMed infusion pump, SmartNet System Software, and various kinds of infusion sets co-developed with Niddleless Corporation. The implementation of SmartMed Infusion System by TMU reflects Inventec Group’s strengthened role in the medical device business. This MIT (Made in Taiwan) smart infusion system is expected to challenge the dominance of foreign brands in infusion business.

The SmartMed Infusion System offers four major highlights:

1. Automated Infusion Parameter Setting and Error Prevention: When nurses scan correct patient and medicine barcodes, SmartMed system will automatically download doctor’s order infusion parameters to the pump and record log in the system to minimize manual entry errors, ensuring precision and safety in infusion procedure.
2. Real-Time Monitoring and Alert System: Through the SmartNet System Software, nurses can monitor the status of all infusion pumps on a central dashboard or mobile device. Alerts are sent instantly if abnormalities occur, enabling timely responses to prevent risks.
3. Closed-Loop Smart Medication System: SmartMed Infusion System is highly integrated with the hospital’s information system, allowing all processes from prescription to infusion pump operation to be traced, preventing omissions or errors and enhancing patient safety.
4. Enhanced Nurse Medication Management: SmartMed Infusion System can reduce the need for manual operations by nurses, and improve work efficiency and reinforce nurses’ role in monitoring and confirming medication administration accuracy, to ensure patient safety.

According to the U.S. Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), conventional smart infusion pumps are often associated with errors due to operational complexity. Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare emphasizes the importance of high-alert medication management and flow control in its 2024-2025 patient safety goals. In the first three months following implementation of SmartMed Infusion System (August to October 2024), TMU Health’s database recorded 136 potential near misses intercepted by SmartMed Infusion System across four hospitals, with a near miss prevention rate of 0.44% (136 incidents out of 30,562 patient days). Compared to the international medication error rate of 2.3%-17.7% for conventional smart infusion pumps, SmartMed Infusion System shows superior accuracy and preventive capabilities, significantly enhancing patient safety. Additionally, SmartMed Infusion System reduce the need for nurses to manually match medications or adjust infusion volumes, saving approximately 4 minutes per use, totaling 795 hours saved monthly, enhancing efficiency and reducing operational near miss incidents.

The collaboration between TMU Health and Inventec not only highlights the potential of integrating healthcare and technology but also aims to improve medical quality and patient safety through the development of smart wards. With extensive clinical experience in smart medical applications and ongoing innovation in medical information systems, TMU Health and Inventec anticipate further advancements in medical services, aiming to offer efficient, convenient care. 

This collaboration is expected to encourage more hospitals to adopt Taiwan-made smart medical devices, and may promote Taiwan’s leading healthcare technology and service models to Southeast Asia, benefiting more people.

Resource: 精進智慧醫療-北醫體系全面導入英華達「思邁智慧輸液系統」