Imagine hospital beds so intuitive that they can track both a patient’s vital signs and sleeping patterns? What about robot-assisted surgery when the doctor and patient are miles apart? These may soon be a reality as the automation technology is gradually revolutionizing healthcare to the era of “smart healthcare.”
The concept of smart healthcare diverges from traditional approaches to healthcare; instituting intelligent and intuitive systems that improve the quality of patient care. This approach has influenced the gamut of pharmaceutical products, medical equipment, and health and wellness products, as they integrate with each other to create a holistic system that is predictive, preventative, personalized, and participatory.
Taiwan is leading the world toward this new frontier.
Its biomedical sector has been identified as one of the industry pillars for national development. In recent years, the value of Taiwan’s biomedical industry significantly has increased to a booming US$16.2 billion.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen considers the country as a forerunner in medical innovation due to three factors: top-tier medical technology, robust supply chains, and a burgeoning biotechnology industry.
Taiwan effectively fosters a supportive and collaborative ecosystem where academic, private, and public institutions work together to create products that contribute to smart healthcare.
One example of the smart healthcare innovation is the range of products offered by Asus Life, a subsidiary of the Taiwan Excellence Award winner Asustek Computer. The company recently worked with hospitals to offer smart medical care solutions for patients.
OmniCare is a medical Internet-of-Things (IoT) platform that collects biometric data from various instruments and smart wearable devices. PhenoFinder is a platform that integrates patient medical records at all hospitals and big data analysis. Zenbo is a smart robot equipped with facial recognition functionality, and AiNurse is a virtual care-giving robot that can communicate with patients via voice or text.
Meanwhile, 2019 Taiwan Excellence awardee Onyx Healthcare Inc. also created medical products that optimize and seamlessly automate hospital processes that are usually done on paper.
The company’s medical tablet MD101 aids nurses as they gather the data of a patient’s vital signs, thus reducing the time spent on each patient, which is usually up to 12 minutes.
Altogether, their products help improve the accuracy and efficiency of overall patient care in hospitals.
To catch more of Taiwan and its amazing innovations, go to Taiwan Excellence 3 on 3 Hoop Challenge on June 29-30 at SM Megamall; the IoT Business Platform on July 24-25 at Manila Marriott; the Taiwan Excellence E-Sports Cup on Oct. 4-6 in Metro Manila; and the Taiwan Expo scheduled sometime in November in Davao City.