Seoul National University Bundang Hospital (SNUBH) has launched a remote intensive care unit (ICU) system, which allows SNUBH to share patient information in real-time with the ICUs at three Gyeonggi Provincial hospitals.
SNUBH professors are working in the Remote Intensive Care Unit (ICU) system room at the hospital in Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. (Courtesy of SNUBH)
The hospitals are Gyeonggi-do Medical Center Anseong Hospital, Icheon Hospital, and Pocheon Hospital. The remote ICU system, initially developed in 2020 as part of the Ministry of Health and Welfare's "Smart Hospital Leading Model Development Support Project," has been further refined through collaboration between SNUBH and Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center. Supported by Gyeonggi Province, the system will be operated as a pilot project from May to December this year.
The primary aim of the remote ICU operation is to alleviate the shortage of dedicated ICU medical personnel in the Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center and to ensure that patients in medically underserved areas such as Anseong, Icheon, and Pocheon receive high-quality medical services.
Medical staff at SNUBH can monitor patients' vital signs and real-time video feeds from the ICUs of the three Gyeonggi Provincial hospitals through its Remote ICU Integrated Control Center. They can provide consultations, devise treatment plans, and coordinate patient transfers based on requests from the provincial hospitals' medical teams.
To support continuous operation, SNUBH has established a 24-hour duty system with specialist physicians and professional nurses, ensuring that the system is operational around the clock.
This arrangement facilitates consultations between attending physicians from both institutions and enables nursing staff to seek advice and collaborate on PRN (pro re nata) orders when necessary.
"As a national central hospital, we have utilized our digital capabilities to bridge gaps in regional healthcare by establishing an inter-institutional system that operates 24/7," SNUBH CEO & President Song Jung-han said.
SNUBH Public Affairs Director Kim Tae-woo also said, "We will continue to perform various public healthcare activities to ensure the health rights of many patients in challenging environments."
Source: https://www.koreabiomed.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=24283
