Nakhon ratchasima: The Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHPF), in partnership with Phimai Hospital, is spearheading the 'Smart Hospital' initiative, a groundbreaking project aimed at seamlessly connecting healthcare and society. The initiative emphasizes the application of PST AI innovation, which integrates three digital systems to enhance and modernize primary healthcare services. Its primary focus is to address gaps in welfare benefits for vulnerable patients while simultaneously reducing the workload of healthcare personnel.
According to Thai News Agency, the project titled "Application of Artificial Intelligence to Develop a Platform for Social Telecare (PST) for Social Care for Patients, Families, and Communities with SN.Buddy in Primary Healthcare Systems," or PST AI, is a collaborative effort by the Thai Medical Social Workers Association, supported by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (THPF), Phimai Hospital, and partner networks. Recently, a workshop and press conference were held to promote the Smart Hospitals initiative under the theme "Driving...Smart Hospitals: Connecting Healthcare and Society." The event marked the launch of the Social Telecare (PST) Platform and PST AI, which are integrated with 'SN.Buddy, HOSxP, and Amed Home Ward' to upgrade primary healthcare systems in Health Region 9. Phimai Hospital is one of ten pilot hospitals involved in this initiative. Mr. Anan Konsanthia, Deputy Provincial Public Health Officer of Nakhon Ratchasima, presided over the ceremony, alongside project leader Prof. Rapeeporn K hamhom. Executives from Phimai Hospital, including Mr. Jarut Tantraporn, Mr. Thanapong Chatchaikulsiri, and Dr. Damrassiri Paiupree, welcomed speakers and participants from the participating hospitals.
Prof. Rapeeporn elaborated on the project's origins, noting that it was born out of a significant challenge faced by social workers and public health personnel: the cumbersome burden of redundant paperwork that often left vulnerable patients excluded from government welfare benefits due to scattered data. To combat this, the team developed an innovative social telecare platform and PST AI, which connects with the Social Work Buddy system, HOSxP, and Amed Home ward. The project has three main objectives: firstly, to bridge welfare benefit gaps using AI to automatically match over 40 government welfare programs and funds, ensuring timely benefits for patients; secondly, to reduce the workload of frontline healthcare workers by integrating data with HOSxP and the Social Work Buddy system, thereby eliminating redundant paperwork and converting patient needs into a universal code (Clinical Social Work); and thirdly, to facilitate seamless care by enabling the transfer of social care plans through Amed Home ward, c onnecting central and community hospitals, sub-district health centers, and local volunteers while maintaining full patient confidentiality in line with the PDPA (Personal Data Protection Act). This initiative aligns with the MOPH PLUS policy aimed at the sustainable development of society.
Mr. Anan highlighted the Ministry of Public Health's (MOPH) focus on leveraging MOPH PLUS to proactively enhance digital healthcare services and ensure seamless access to rights. He lauded the system, emphasizing that an effective digital system should not only alleviate the burden on healthcare workers but also foster fairness for society and the nation. The integration of the Social Telecare platform, PST AI, SN.Buddy, HOSxP, and Amed Home ward is expected to dismantle data silos, enabling accurate, comprehensive, and highly efficient social screening and planning in Health Region 9.