A Glimpse into the Future of Smart Hospitals and Digital Healthcare... Preview of the 'International Hospital & Medical Industry Expo'

Hosted by the Korea Hospital Association, held for three days from the 29th at COEX

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The largest hospital and medical device expo in Korea, the "International Hospital Medical Industry Expo (K-HOSPITAL FAIR 2022)" hosted by the Korea Hospital Association, will be held for three days from the 29th to the 1st of next month at COEX in Seoul. This expo is especially expected to provide an opportunity to see cutting-edge medical industries at a glance, focusing on the theme of "Digital Healthcare Era, Changes in Medical Paradigm," going beyond just medical devices to include smart hospitals and Software as a Medical Device (SaMD).

The most notable exhibition at this expo is the "Smart Hospital Special Exhibition." A smart hospital is a future hospital model that maximizes timeliness and qualitative improvement by enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of medical services through the digital transformation of hospitals. Visitors can experience the actual operation of smart hospitals through various smart hospital leading models exhibited, such as ▲remote intensive care units ▲in-hospital resource management ▲patient safety management within hospitals ▲intelligent work support, all developed through the Smart Hospital Leading Model Development Support Project promoted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute.

In particular, Samsung Medical Center will showcase its "Smart Logistics" innovation case. Samsung Medical Center has designated this year as the inaugural year for building a robot-based advanced intelligent hospital and is accelerating digital transformation. One of the representative tasks for this is smart logistics innovation, a system where robots automatically supply necessary items to each medical site every night. This creates an environment where on-site medical staff can focus entirely on patient care, free from logistics tasks. Along with this, Samsung Medical Center plans to provide services such as ward-round robots and disinfection robots within this year.

The 'International Hospital & Medical Industry Expo (K-HOSPITAL FAIR)' hosted by the Korea Hospital Association will open on the 29th at COEX in Seoul. (Photo shows last year's expo scene)

Alongside this, the "SaMD Special Exhibition," which combines core technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, and Cloud with healthcare, also stands out. Leading companies in the industry will attend in large numbers to showcase new technologies that will become the mainstay of future medical industries, including digital therapeutics, AI-based medical image interpretation, smart healthcare ecosystem solutions, and non-face-to-face medical services. GE Healthcare Korea, recognized as a leading medical device company, will introduce the deep learning-based image reconstruction software technology "AIR Recon DL," which enables clearer images and faster imaging with imaging equipment. Additionally, AI-based solutions such as ultrasound equipped with the UGAP (Ultrasound-Guided Attenuation Parameter) function for quantitative analysis of fatty liver, registered as a new medical technology, will be extensively exhibited.

There will also be a variety of side events. The "2022 K-Digital Healthcare Summit," held alongside the expo, will examine trends and prospects in the digital healthcare industry and explore how hospitals and medical environments will change with technologies like the metaverse and AI. Seminars will also be held, including the "2022 Hospital Architecture Forum," which looks at hospital construction for infectious disease response in the post-COVID-19 era, and discussions on the spread and challenges of smart hospitals. The Korea Hospital Association stated, "Through this expo, we will work to enhance and revitalize the competitiveness of Korea’s world-class hospital medical industry, which is recognized as a new growth industry," and added, "We will strive for the development of the hospital medical industry, including global expansion, through the overseas dissemination of excellent Korean medical services."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.