Advantech promotes first smart hospital project in Vietnam

Accordingly, Advantech Vietnam and Intel will take care of system design, providing "iHospital" solution, integrating smart medical devices customised to the needs of the investor.

With the vision of developing Thai Hoa General Hospital into the leading smart hospital in Vietnam and the region, the high-tech solution packages are specially designed by Advantech to support doctors and medical staff in optimising medical examination and treatment efficiency, increasing patient satisfaction during treatment, marking a breakthrough for healthcare and elevating patient experience.

To ensure compliance with the Ministry of Health regulations in Circular No.54/2017/TT-BYT dated December 29, 2017 and Circular No.46/2018/TT-BYT dated December 28, in 2018 Advantech Vietnam coordinated with several domestic software development partners to ensure that the operation of the system and the patient medical records from smart devices will be digitised and stored on a central platform, making them easy to share and access while also ensuring utmost level of privacy protection.

Realising the remarkable value that can be brought to users and leveraging the experience from successfully developing Smart Hospital models in several European and Asian countries, Advantech Group is aiming to make smart technology applications to the medical field more widespread and universal, helping to reduce the processes for medical staff, mitigate the overall risk and improve the efficiency of healthcare for patients.

At Thai Hoa iHospital, from the moment they step into the hospital, patients would experience the smartest services. From access control system (ACS) integrated with an intelligent surveillance camera system, intelligent queue system (iQ), bedside examination solution for doctors and nurses (AMIS), the integrated intelligent surgery room system (AVAS) to the high-end smart in-patient solution (iWard), all were designed by Advantech with focus on the patient.

In addition, solutions for remote medical examination and treatment (telehealth) and a pharmacy management system (iMed) have also been built and integrated by Advantech, ensuring that data on treatment history can be easily accessed during group and individual consultation and that the patient's medication history can be monitored seamlessly and accurately. “iHospital” also allows patients to simply use a “Smart Card” to access and use all services integrated on the platform.

Speaking at the agreement signing ceremony, Do Duc Hau, general manager of Advantech Vietnam emphasised: “The Fourth Industrial Revolution and digital transformation are now the focus of the world. Vietnam is not strictly part of this wave, which is why the Vietnamese government is paying great attention to and promoting policies to support businesses and organisations in all industries and fields to quickly approach and implement these solutions.”

“In the medical industry and hospitals, digital transformation towards a smart hospital model is essential to optimise operations, improve the quality of medical examination and treatment, reduce the load on hospitals, and cut medical examination and treatment costs, while at the same time providing better patient experiences,” he added.

“Building a digital database early will make the application of big data analysis technologies and AI technologies more effective. It will also help improve the quality of medical examination and treatment, and overcomes the shortage of experienced doctors."

Truong Thi Bich Thuan, the investor representative said: “Thai Hoa Hospital is proud to be a pioneer in Vietnam in applying digital technology to the field of medical examination and treatment, realised through a smart hospital model. This system will contribute to improving the capacity of diagnosis, treatment, and surgery thanks to direct support from a team of leading professors and doctors in various fields at home and abroad, thus reducing the number of unnecessary and unsafe hospital transfers, alleviating overcrowding in specialised hospitals, enhancing people's trust and satisfaction with the healthcare system in Ninh Thuan province.”

Expected to start service officially from June 2022, Vietnam's first smart hospital, Thai Hoa iHospital promises to benefit not only people in Ninh Thuan but also those in neighbouring provinces.

This also creates a breakthrough in the digital transformation of the Vietnamese healthcare sector, a step that is truly admirable and pressing in the midst of the prolonged battle with COVID-19.

Advantech Co., Ltd. is a world-leader in the industrial computer industry and is one of Taiwan's best global brands. The company is focused on developing high-tech equipment and solutions, especially in the fields of industrial production, retail, and medicine to bring the best benefits for partners and users.

With a journey of more than 20 years of establishment and development with a team of experienced and highly qualified medical doctors, Thai Hoa General Hospital (formerly known as Thai Hoa Clinic) is being invested for a new establishment. The medical examination block has a scale of 12 floors, to be completed in June 2022. The 100-bed inpatient unit is slated for completion by the end of 2023.