Information technology and artificial intelligence support in management experiences of the pediatric designated hospital during the COVID-19 epidemic in 2022 in Shanghai

Yu Shi; Jin Fu; Mei Zeng; Yanling Ge; Xiangshi Wang; Aimei Xia; Weijie Shen; Jiali Wang; Weiming Chen; Siyuan Jiang; Xiaowen Zhai

doi:10.1016/j.imed.2022.08.002

Information technology and artificial intelligence support in management experiences of the pediatric designated hospital during the COVID-19 epidemic in 2022 in Shanghai

Intell Med. 2023 Feb;3(1):16-21. doi: 10.1016/j.imed.2022.08.002. Epub 2022 Sep 5.

Authors

Yu Shi¹, Jin Fu¹, Mei Zeng², Yanling Ge², Xiangshi Wang², Aimei Xia², Weijie Shen³, Jiali Wang⁴, Weiming Chen³, Siyuan Jiang⁵, Xiaowen Zhai⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medical Affairs, Children's Medical Center Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 201102, China.
² Department of Infectious Diseases, Children's Medical Center Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 201102, China.
³ Department of Critical Care Medicine, Children's Medical Center Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 201102, China.
⁴ Outpatient and Emergency Management Office, Children's Medical Center Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 201102, China.
⁵ Department of Neonatology, Children's Medical Center Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 201102, China.
⁶ Department of Hematology, Children's Medical Center Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 201102, China.

Abstract

Objective: To describe the information technology and artificial intelligence support in management experiences of the pediatric designated hospital in the wave of COVID-19 in Shanghai.

Methods: We retrospectively concluded the management experiences at the largest pediatric designated hospital from March 1st to May 11th in 2022 in Shanghai. We summarized the application of Internet hospital, face recognition technology in outpatient department, critical illness warning system and remote consultation system in the ward and the structed electronic medical record in the inpatient system. We illustrated the role of the information system through the number and prognosis of patients treated.

Results: The COVID-19 designated hospitals were built particularly for critical patients requiring high-level medical care, responded quickly and scientifically to prevent and control the epidemic situation. From March 1st to May 11th, 2022, we received and treated 768 children confirmed by positive RT-PCR and treated at our center. In our management, we use Internet Information on the Internet Hospital, face recognition technology in outpatient department, critical illness warning system and remote consultation system in the ward, structed electronic medical record in the inpatient system. No deaths or nosocomial infections occurred. The number of offline outpatient visits dropped, from March to May 2022, 146,106, 48,379, 57,686 respectively. But the outpatient volume on the internet hospital increased significantly (3,347 in March 2022 vs. 372 in March 2021; 4,465 in April 2022 vs. 409 in April 2021; 4,677 in May 2022 vs. 538 in May 2021).

Conclusions: Information technology and artificial intelligence has provided significant supports in the management. The system might optimize the admission screening process, increases the communication inside and outside the ward, achieves early detection and diagnosis, timely isolates patients, and timely treatment of various types of children.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence; Closed-loop management; Coronavirus disease 2019; Information technology; Pediatric designated hospital.