GE Healthcare on Thursday hosted a seminar on how remote patient monitoring will become a new normal in the post-COVID-19 era.

The seminar was part of the annual K-Hospital Fair 2020, which was held at Coex in Gangnam, Seoul.

COVID-19 has made telemedicine and its related digital technologies a sudden quest in Korea, according to Professor Kim Kyung-hwan of Seoul National University Hospital’s Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery speaking at the seminar.

These technologies and devices are those that gather patient data outside of traditional healthcare settings, enable monitoring of patients outside of conventional clinical settings, and continually assess a person’s health status, Kim said.

Unlike in the US, where the iPhone-centric Apple HealthKit is enabling widespread use of patient health data in conjunction with companies spanning insurance, pharmaceutical and wellness, the situation in Korea is far behind due to regulatory restrictions, according to the professor.

“In order to keep pace with the world, Korea must prepare a standardized data, vender-neutral interface and a software system that can sync with hospital information systems,“ Kim said, ”Remote patient monitoring should become a nationwide agenda.“

Kim was deeply involved at a makeshift treatment center in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province, where 118 patients -- who were either asymptomatic or had mild cases of COVID-19 -- were treated in March and April.

“The benefit of remote monitoring will especially enhance health care for patients residing in isolated regions,” Kim said.

Chris Khang, President and CEO of GE Korea, echoed the imminent need for a remote system.

“At the point where crisis becomes opportunity lies digital, non face-to-face and innovative artificial intelligence technologies,” Kang said.

“Pandemics have historically been junctions where large paradigm shifts have occurred. We believe COVID-19 will become another such turning point,” he said, adding that GE Healthcare is making an all-out effort to develop relevant advanced technologies such as its new hospital management AI system called Mural.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)