4.3 Smart Healthcare
Facing the rapid digitalization and intelligent development trends in the medical field, Taichung Armed Forces General Hospital continues to advance smart healthcare and digital transformation strategies by integrating information technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital management tools into clinical care, medical management, and administrative workflows. Through cross-system data integration and information-sharing mechanisms, the hospital is progressively building an intelligent medical service environment. The application of digital technology not only enhances the timeliness, accuracy, and safety of medical services but also improves the efficiency of medical resource allocation and strengthens organizational operational resilience, steadily progressing toward the goal of becoming a smart hospital.
In clinical diagnostic support
In 2025, the hospital introduced the “Chest X-ray AI-Assisted Interpretation System” as an auxiliary tool to assist physicians in image analysis. This system utilizes machine learning models to analyze medical imaging data, helping to identify potential abnormal lesions and risk indicators. It effectively reduces variability in human interpretation, improves diagnostic consistency, and enhances early disease detection capabilities, thereby further strengthening patient safety management.
At the same time, the hospital implemented the “Low-Dose Lung CT AI Interpretation System,” establishing an AI-assisted cardiopulmonary risk screening platform that integrates three key disease risk assessment functions: lung nodule detection, coronary artery calcification evaluation, and bone density analysis. The system also incorporates natural language processing (NLP) technology to automatically generate screening reports. Through multi-disease integrated analysis and intelligent report generation, this system effectively improves screening efficiency and clinical decision-making quality, expands the scope of preventive medicine applications, and enhances early disease detection and health promotion outcomes.
In patient interaction and digital health management
The hospital has developed the “e-Pharmacist” digital health management platform, which integrates outpatient appointment notifications, chronic prescription medication reminders, laboratory and examination consultations, and medical information inquiries. This platform enables patients to promptly access their medication history, health information, and medical progress, thereby improving communication efficiency between medical staff and patients and enhancing patients’ capacity for autonomous health management. The introduction of these digital interactive services effectively reduces the risk of missed medical appointments and treatment interruptions, strengthening overall care continuity and patient engagement.
In the fields of precision medicine and surgical technology development
The hospital has established a “Hybrid Operating Room” that integrates advanced medical imaging diagnostics with traditional surgical procedures. This setup enables physicians to perform minimally invasive interventional treatments and conventional open surgeries simultaneously within the same space. Real-time guidance through high-resolution imaging enhances surgical precision, reduces operation time, and eliminates the need to transfer patients between examination and operating rooms, thereby minimizing transport risks and emergency treatment delays. This approach creates a one-stop diagnosis and treatment service model, improving patient safety and treatment outcomes.
Additionally, the hospital introduced the “Bronchial Augmented Reality Navigation System,” which combines preoperative 3D imaging models with intraoperative real-time imaging data. Utilizing intelligent navigation technology, it assists physicians in precisely locating lesions, thereby improving surgical accuracy and reducing the risk of complications. The hospital also invested in the “3D Endoscopic Sinus Navigation Surgery System,” which integrates stereoscopic image reconstruction with real-time positioning technology to provide high-precision intraoperative navigation support. This effectively minimizes the risk of damage to critical anatomical structures, shortens surgery duration and postoperative recovery time, and enhances overall medical quality and clinical outcomes.
In the construction of smart medical facilities
The hospital has implemented a smart ward management system in the newly constructed critical care medical building, introducing electronic whiteboards and electronic bedside cards to gradually replace traditional paper-based record-keeping. This transition reduces duplicate data entry and manual errors, thereby improving nursing efficiency and the quality of care. The ward areas are also equipped with patient physiological monitoring devices, a Clinical Information System (CIS), patient medication inquiry and verification systems, and real-time care image upload systems, establishing real-time data feedback and abnormality alert mechanisms. Through system integration and real-time data connectivity, clinical decision support capabilities, patient safety monitoring, and interdisciplinary team collaboration are significantly enhanced.
In medical information infrastructure
The hospital continues to advance the full electronic implementation of the Hospital Information System (HIS), progressively completing the transition to paperless medical records to enhance the completeness, traceability, and retrieval efficiency of medical information. Additionally, an electronic consent form system has been introduced, which not only supports the paperless initiative but also streamlines administrative processes and information flow, enabling medical staff to dedicate more time to patient care and clinical decision-making.
In 2025, the hospital completed the reconstruction of the Hemodialysis Center and officially launched a smart dialysis management system. This system integrates patient dialysis data, vital signs, and treatment records in real time, reducing the risk of manual transcription errors and data omissions, thereby improving the quality of dialysis treatment and medical safety. Through data-driven monitoring, physicians can adjust dialysis parameters in real time based on individual patient conditions, providing more precise and personalized medical care. The system also supports the hospital in equipment management, infection control, and quality indicator tracking, further enhancing the overall operational efficiency and care quality of the dialysis center.
In medical quality management and evaluation operations
The hospital continuously optimizes its Knowledge Management (KM) system, transforming traditional paper-based evaluation processes into daily, digital, and paperless management mechanisms. Various plans, regulatory documents, meeting minutes, and operational procedures are systematically classified and managed according to the evaluation framework. This approach not only improves data preservation and handover efficiency but also strengthens the organization’s knowledge retention capabilities. Additionally, the KM system integrates various supervisory and assessment items from competent authorities, including patient safety oversight by the Health Bureau and internal management supervision by the Military Medical Bureau. Through daily data collection and management mechanisms, evaluation evidence can be accessed and applied in real time, enhancing evaluation consistency and management effectiveness. These improvements demonstrate significant achievements in digital governance and sustainable management.
To continuously advance smart medical development, the hospital has increased its investments in information technology and smart healthcare annually. The budget for information development and smart medical initiatives was set at NT$11.14 million in 2024, increased to NT$41.85 million in 2025, and is projected to reach NT$47.9 million in 2026. The hospital continues to invest in building smart medical systems, enhancing digital governance, and upgrading information infrastructure to create a more convenient and efficient smart healthcare environment.
Table of the Hospital’s Information Development and Smart Medical Budget Allocations for 2024–2026
| 2024-2026 Information Development and Smart Healthcare Budget Allocation Statistics Table | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year 2024 | Year 2025 | Year 2026 |
| 11.14 million | 41.85 million | 47.90 million |
In collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Healthy Taiwan Deepening Plan, our hospital has successfully secured a subsidy of 28 million NTD for the years 2025 to 2026. Of this budget, 68% will be allocated to smart medical infrastructure, including smart surgical systems, autonomous medical collaboration mobile systems, and intelligent anesthesia systems, among other advanced medical technologies. This investment will continuously enhance the quality of medical services and improve clinical operational efficiency.
Looking ahead, our hospital plans to establish a “Real-Time Radiological Image Consultation System” in 2026. Through a web-based multimedia imaging platform, clinical physicians will be able to simultaneously access CT and MRI images in operating rooms, emergency departments, and various wards, enabling real-time consultation discussions with radiologists. This system will enhance the efficiency of image interpretation and accelerate lesion assessment, thereby strengthening our capacity for timely patient management.