Mackay Medicine System Charts Course for Enhanced Medical Quality Amid Aging Population and AI Wave

The Mackay Medicine System is navigating the challenges of an aging population and the rapid rise of artificial intelligence by hosting its third annual "Medical Quality Week." Under the theme "The Great Ship of Quality, Fearlessly Moving Forward," the event highlights strategies for upgrading medical quality, focusing on AI-driven digital transformation, patient safety, human factors engineering, and environmental sustainability. Mackay Medicine System President Chang Wen-han emphasized that patient care remains the core of all quality improvement efforts. He stated that in the face of evolving healthcare environments, quality improvement must become an ingrained culture, not just a one-off project, ultimately aiming to provide patients with the best possible care.Liu Yue-ping, director-general of the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Bureau of Medical Affairs, noted the shift in healthcare management from traditional "Quality Assurance" (QA) to a "Continuous Improvement" (QI) model. This evolution prioritizes patient safety, care experience, process optimization, and cross-team integration, especially as demographic changes and limited human resources necessitate the adoption of digital transformation and new technologies like AI. AI is seen not as a replacement for medical staff but as a tool to reduce repetitive tasks and enhance efficiency, thereby maintaining quality and safety within resource constraints.The three-day event features discussions on trends and practical experiences in Taiwan's medical quality development, with participation from experts including representatives from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, NTUH Hsinchu Branch, the Health Quality Promotion Foundation, and Chi Mei Hospital. The system also showcased various internal quality improvement initiatives and smart healthcare applications, such as AI-driven anatomical teaching, improvements in pediatric intensive care unit medication safety, cancer screening monitoring, and ESG carbon reduction actions in anesthesia and nutrition departments. A poster competition highlighted a project optimizing outpatient pharmacy dispensing efficiency using prescription big data, which received unanimous praise.

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The core of medical quality is always the patient; the ultimate goal of all quality improvement work is to provide patients with safer and more comprehensive care.