Promoting Smart Healthcare

• Creating New Value from Medical Data

The medical record data integration platform established by NCKU Hospital promotes medical research innovation with electronic medical records as the core. It integrates over 10 years of large-scale medical data, covering outpatient, emergency, inpatient, laboratory, and medical equipment data, and incorporates death registry data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare for comprehensive cause-of-death survival analysis. Utilizing cloud computing and data virtualization technology, researchers can directly analyze de-identified data within a secure in-hospital environment. The platform has been widely applied to clinical research on diabetes, kidney disease, and geriatric frailty, resulting in numerous academic achievements. In the future, it will promote cross-hospital and international collaboration, becoming an essential tool for clinical decision-making and healthcare economic evaluation.

• 2024 Annual Execution Results of Strategic Objectives

• Joint On-Campus Research and Development

NCKU Hospital actively promotes exchanges and collaborations among industry, academia, research, and medicine. By integrating cross-disciplinary resources, the Hospital drives the development of innovative technologies and knowledge in medical technology, jointly researching and developing technologies and products with clinical value. Through cross-disciplinary innovation collaboration among industry, academia, and medicine based on clinical pain points, the Hospital leverages valueadded development of medical data to develop smart technology solutions, thereby facilitating the application and commercialization of innovative smart healthcare R&D. The Hospital has established a smart healthcare industry-academia-research-medical collaboration liaison to provide services such as technical consultation, collaboration matchmaking, and agreement signing, thereby promoting the application and commercialization of innovative R&D.

The "Abdominal CT Body Composition QUANTITATIVE System" software, developed by the team led by Associate Professor/Physician Tsai Yi-Shan of the Clinical Innovation Research and Development Center of National Cheng Kung University and NCKU Hospital, can assist physicians within seconds in tracking patients’ muscle mass, muscle density, and fat composition, thereby facilitating the formulation of more personalized treatment plans. This software obtained certification from the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Food and Drug Administration in 2023, making National Cheng Kung University the first academic institution to receive a “ClassII Medical Device License” and leading to the establishment of the spinoff company “Mega Radiance Co., LTD.”

The “Virtual Reality Mirror Therapy System” originated from the original concept of Professor Hsu Hsiu-Yunof the Occupational Therapy Section, Department of Rehabilitation at NCKU Hospital. It was co-developed with Associate Professor Lin Che-Wei of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at NCKU and supported by several national scientific research and entrepreneurship programs as well as Ministry of Education talent development programs. In 2024, the system obtained U.S. FDA Class II medical device registration and is now available for prescription use by physicians in the United States. Efforts are underway to secure Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare medical device certification, with the aim of applying the system in Taiwan’s rehabilitation settings to provide effective rehabilitation therapy for more stroke and hemiplegic patients.

• Medical Technology Achievements Showcase

Hosted by the Institute for Biotechnology and Medicine Industry (IBMI), the Taiwan Healthcare+ Expo has, since its inception in 2017, rapidly become the most representative integrated exhibition for medical technology and the biotechnology industry in Asia, with cross-ministerial support from the National Science and Technology Council, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Economic Affairs, and Ministry of Agriculture. It facilitates business exchanges and international cooperation in the healthcare industry. Exhibitors include well-known domestic and international medical institutions, technology companies, biotech firms, universities, and research institutions, attracting over 100,000 visitors annually.

As one of the largest academic medical centers in southern Taiwan, NCKU Hospital has been a regular exhibitor since the expo's inception. Each year, it showcases pioneering R&D achievements in smart healthcare, data integration, and innovative applications. These exhibitions help attract industry partners for clinical validation collaborations, expand application fields for innovative technologies, and promote dialogue and exchange with other medical centers, government agencies, and international entities, thereby deepening the Hospital's influence on national healthcare policies and research collaboration. In response to the 2024 Taiwan Healthcare+ Expo’s three main themes—“Medtech,” “Biotech,” and “Healthtech”—the Hospital brought together 12 outstanding teams from the College of Medicine and the University’s main campus to participate. Centered on smart healthcare, the exhibition showcased NCKU Hospital’s comprehensive integration of artificial intelligence and innovative medical devices, spanning from prevention and diagnosis to treatment.