Driving Thai Hoa Hospital’s Transformation into Vietnam’s First Smart Hospital

Introduction

To resolve medical resource shortages and improve medical service quality, Thai Hoa Hospital collaborated with Advantech to successfully build Vietnam’s first smart hospital, demonstrating the country’s commitment to moving forward into the smart healthcare era.

Challenges

Challenges posed by inadequate software in the transformation of a smart hospital

Thai Hoa Hospital embarked on a mission to enhance the patient experience while creating an operating model that would be sustainable in the future. Although the hospital was already fitted with modern equipment and was staffed by a strong team of highly qualified doctors who used HIS and LIS systems in their daily work, the hospital faced challenges with their old patient management software. Pham Viet Thai, an investor of Thai Hoa Hospital, pointed out that the hospital’s software had limited features and was unable to merge data, which impacted patient satisfaction and staff workflows. Additionally, without a picture archiving and communication system (PACS), the hospital had to spend a significant amount of money on paper and film for test results, ultrasounds, and X-ray films.

During the construction of a new 100-bed hospital in Ninh Thuan province, Mr. Pham Viet Thai was introduced to Advantech’s smart hospital solutions. Impressed by the technology’s potential to expedite the digital transformation of the hospital, he decided to collaborate with Advantech Vietnam, propelling Thai Hoa Hospital toward its smart development goals. By implementing Advantech’s intelligent hospital solutions, the hospital now has innovative systems and data-driven processes that have improved overall operations.

Advantech’s comprehensive intelligent healthcare solutions

Advantech’s comprehensive solutions for deployment in hospitals include access control systems (ACS), computerized medical nursing carts (AMiS), integrated intelligent operating room systems (AVAS), telehealth solutions (iTeleMed & AMiS), pharmacy management systems, and high-end smart inpatient solutions (iWard).

Nguyen Bang Phuong, Deputy Director of Thai Hoa Hospital, highlights the significant impact of the AVAS solution on surgical precision and safety achieved by providing doctors with direct access to patients’ medical history, ultrasound records, and test result data prior to surgery. The system offers real-time data transmission with 4K resolution and zero latency, enabling Thai Hoa Hospital to collaborate with outside doctors on surgeries. This technology contributes to the advancement of healthcare in Ninh Thuan Province.

Additionally, the iTeleMed Solution with AMiS Telehealth cart is a remote medical system that enables doctors and nurses to transmit patient data, including vital signs and medical images, via Advantech’s telehealth suitcase. This allows doctors from anywhere to receive data, thus streamlining the consultation process.

Thai Hoa Hospital has implemented iWard Patient Information Terminals (iWard PITs) on their boarding beds, contributing to enhanced patient engagement and improved healthcare outcomes. Mr. Nguyen Bang Phuong elaborated that these terminals display patient data directly on the screen during visits, eliminating the need for doctors to carry paper records. Medical staff can also access patient information remotely through the iWard solutions on the AMiS Nursing cart, thus helping facilitate patient diagnosis.

Revolutionizing patient care and operations

Advantech’s Intelligent Healthcare Solutions have transformed onsite operations at Thai Hoa Hospital, enabling the hospital to offer a new and improved experience for patients, doctors, and nurses. Doctors and nurses can now provide more effective treatment and care using smart technologies. Ms. Nguyen Thi My Dieu, a nurse at Thai Hoa Hospital, pointed out that these digital solutions have helped significantly, especially in reducing medical errors, making patient information clearer, and providing remote access to support patients from any location.

The implementation of the intelligent system has also brought significant benefits to patients, particularly through the automatic receipt and transmission of electronic medical records. This streamlined process has facilitated smoother collaboration with third parties, including insurance companies. Moreover, it positions Thai Hoa Hospital for future expansion and development. In line with this, the hospital is actively planning the deployment of Phase 2 of the intelligent hospital solutions, which will further enhance its capabilities. This strategic move ensures the hospital’s continued growth, development, and the provision of more advanced and intelligent healthcare services.

"Advantech is a great choice; they have enthusiastic and professional staff. We are now an outstanding hospital thanks to their intelligent solutions."- Pham Viet Thai, Investor in Thai Hoa Hospital

Case Study Benefits

1. Enhanced patient experience
2. Centralized data management
3. Improved operational efficiency