Artificial Intelligence

Intelligent Innovation in Pharmaceutical Care

Department of Pharmacy, Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center.

As an important medical center in southern Taiwan, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital serves more than 7,000 outpatients and 2,600 inpatients every day. With the huge volume of medical services, the pharmacy team has to dispense an average of 65,000 medicines a day; in order to ensure the efficiency of medication administration and medication safety, since 2019/10 pharmacy team has developed a number of software and hardware equipment for intelligent pharmaceutical care. From "Drug Warehouse Management", " Smart Recognition and Packaging for Tablets ", " Automatic Sorting and Delivery and Prescription System for Medicines ", to " Electronic Fence Monitoring Smart Dispensing Station ", the process of drug dispensing and management is integrated with digital networking. Among them, the " Electronic Fence Monitoring Smart Dispensing Station " has been developed to the second generation, which simplifies the pharmacist's operation steps. With the control of " Automatic Detection for Dispensing Errors ", it can achieve the goal of 100% medication accuracy.

Medication safety is one of the core values of healthcare quality. In order to provide patients with the best medical care, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital have been actively investing in digital health transformation. Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital is promoting the digital development of various medical specialties from top to down. Take the pharmaceutical operation smart equipment developed by the pharmacy department as an example. We use the system to help streamline process, allowing pharmacists to have more time to focus on medication care for patients, such as providing medication care for critically ill and special groups, setting up pharmacist clinics to provide medical care management, and improve effectiveness of disease control for patients and medical teams. Such as kidney disease is a growing global problem. We also developed an innovative AKI medication-target alerts since 2017/11 and establish a continuous closed-loop AKI and pre-ESRD care platform step by step. Service capacity of AKI care ranks the first in the world, and AKI alerts can significantly raise physician’s awareness and improve medication safety.

Pharmacists are members of the medical team, actively monitoring drug treatment effects and following up medication responses. Our pharmacists can have provided various services in both inpatient and outpatient settings. At the same time, pharmacists also use technology to exert multiple values, and via " Online Platform" and "Mobile APP" to manage patients' home medication, provide medication reminders, track treatment status, etc., and furthermore, introduce AI to predict the risks of disease treatment. These novel services have been extended to home pharmaceutical care, and comprehensive pharmaceutical care has gradually been realized and concrete results have begun to be achieved. The Pharmacy Department has introduced digital transformation for pharmaceutical operations, using information technology equipment to improve operating efficiency by at least 68% and maintain medication safety, with 100% medication accuracy. We won 5 patents, the Silver Award at the 2020 National Medical Quality Award and the Bronze Award (Taiwan No. 1) at the 2023 National Biotechnology and Medical Care Quality Award.

The Smart Pharmacy is Equipped with Both Hardware and Software to Protect Medication Safety

Error Prevention ㆍStreamlined Processes ㆍUser Friendliness

National Level Affirmation-Contribution of Innovative Professional Technology Transfer

• This project focuses on medication safety. It also develops "clinically effective" software and hardware on its own and has won a number of patented technology transfers and awards.
• We hope that our experience in smart medical transformation can also assist the development of smart medical care in the world.

INITIAL INVENTION：

• Single barcode medicine replenishment and automatic storage management system (Patent I708206).
• Light projection positioning rotary medicine delivery machine (Invention Publication Number 202237483).
• Integration system for visualized intelligent medical care (New patent M623747)
• Intelligent acute kidney injury drug warning system (patent M586446/I692777)
• Intelligent medication and health management system (patent M595871)

FIRST INTRODUCTION：

• Identification system for tablet 3D images.

TRANSFER OF PATENT LICENSING AND TECHNOLOGY：

• Returned market value of personal property and derivative benefits: 4.46 million (NT$).

HONORS：

• 2020 National Healthcare Quality Award Smart Medicine Silver Award.
• 2020 Chang Gung Hospital National Healthcare Quality Award (Excellent Quality).
• 2020 National Healthcare Quality Award Smart Medicine outstanding performance Award.
• 2023 Harvard Business Review: Digital Transformation Award (First Prize).
• 2023 National Biotechnology and Medical Care Quality Award medical services Bronze Award.

THE SPREAD OF INFLUENCE：

• Visit reports from medical institutions and medias.
• At present, this smart software and hardware has been introduced not only in all hospitals in the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, but also in a total of 16 medical institutions including Kaohsiung Medical University Affiliated Hospital and Kaohsiung Municipal Xiaogang Hospital, benefiting more pharmacists and patients.
• AKI survivors post discharge and pharmacist were enrolled in of Taiwan pre-ESRD care and educational programs since 2021/11.
• AKI alert systems have been deployed in 7-branch hospital of Chang Gung foundation and at least 3 medical centers in Taiwan subsequently developed similar system.

NATIONAL PROMOTION：

• Observation meeting for workplace health management effectiveness, Department of Labor, 2019.
• Special interview reports, Joint Commission of Taiwan, 2021.

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