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| An aerial view shows Korea University Anam Hospital's building built on the university's campus in Seoul. With the completion of part of the new building, the hospital will start to treat patients. Courtesy of Korea University Anam Hospital |
By Bahk Eun-ji
Korea University (KU) Anam Hospital has made a new leap forward with the completion of part of its new building, and started to treat patients there.
Back in 2017 when Korea University Medicine announced its plan to open the new hospital branch, it set the goal of providing the best medical services with state-of-the-art infrastructure to become a test bed for convergence research ahead of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
"Under the long-term plan, we will institute advanced digital technologies, such as 5G, artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality, at all affiliated hospitals, including the Convergence Medical Center being built on KU's Anam campus, and the Advanced Outpatient Care Center to be built on campuses in Guro and Ansan," said Park Jong-hoon, president of KU Anam Hospital. "We hope the KU-affiliated hospitals can offer customized medical services based on AI technology."
This is the why the construction for new hospital was started under the tentative name "High-Tech Convergence Medical Center," Park added.
The entrance to the new building has been changed from the third floor of the old building to the second floor of the new building. Patients and visitors are welcomed on the second floor of the new building at the hospital lobby.
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| Park Jong-hoon, president of KU Anam Hospital |
Cancer centers such as the thyroid cancer center and breast cancer center have been relocated to the third floor, while the cardiovascular center and cranial nerve center will be on the fourth floor.
The International Medical Center is for foreign patients. Patients from all over the world, including Mongolia, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan, will visit to receive treatment usually for serious diseases including cancer surgery and liver transplants.
In addition to advanced treatment, the hospital provides all the services needed for stay and treatment in Korea, including interpretation, visa and insurance association services.
Providing customized medical care
The cancer hospital on the third floor has become a hospital that is customized for cancer patients. All medical treatments have become possible in cancer hospitals, such as installing an exclusive blood collection room for cancer patients.
Before the center opened, cancer patients had to move throughout the hospital quite a lot, from having a medical consultation to providing blood samples. Cancer patients are now able to get all medical services at one place.
In order to enhance patients' convenience, massage chairs were installed in the chemotherapy room.
By expanding hereditary cancer clinics, it is striving for cancer prevention and early detection by intensive management of not only cancer patients but also families of those in high-risk groups.
The hospital also provides education related to various cancers to help patients and their families improve their understanding of cancer and overcome it.
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| Physicians operate on an arrhythmia patient at Korea University Anam Hospital in Seoul. Courtesy of Korea University Anam Hospital |
The center for gynecological cancer provides specialized treatments for female cancers such as breast, cervical and ovarian cancers.
Through close cooperation between the breast and endocrine departments and the plastic surgery department, breast reconstruction surgery and cancer treatment will be carried out simultaneously. Patient-centered treatments will be provided through the latest surgery methods such as breast tumor surgery, hybrid breast implant surgery and robotic surgery for breast reconstruction.
Even if breast cancer has not yet occurred, the company also operates a genetic breast cancer clinic to preemptively protect patients' health if genetic testing confirms a patient is at high risk.
The obstetrics and gynecology department operates a fertility preservation clinic as well as treatment for cervical, endometrial and ovarian cancer, providing the best medical services to help pregnant women and women giving birth after cancer treatment and to continue their daily lives after overcoming cancer.
The thyroid cancer center has established a shared decision-making system in which medical staff and patients decide the treatment direction together. Shared decision-making refers to the two-way communication between medical personnel and the patient to derive the optimal treatment. Medical personnel explain cancer treatments to patients, and based on this, the patient decides the suitable course among various treatments in consultation with the medical staff.
The cardiovascular center on the fourth floor is already gaining international reputation for its rapid treatment system. Its examination accuracy was improved by adding the latest biplane angiography equipment.
The neurological center offers patient-centered brain disease treatment by integrating neurology and neurosurgery that require close consultation. In addition, total care for cranial nerve diseases is possible in collaboration with the department of otorhinolaryngology, mental health medicine, pediatrics and rehabilitation medicine.
Likewise, the KU Anam Hospital is making various efforts to enhance the convenience of patients with the new building. The hospital counseling office is greatly expanded and functions are strengthened to help patients and their families hospitalized for treatment adjust to life in the hospital.
In addition, each center created a rest area for patients to use the hospital comfortably, and an underground parking lot was newly built to ease the parking shortage.
"We are working to provide a better hospital environment to patients not only through the construction of the new building, but also by remodeling the existing main building. As a resting space that residents can use, the hospital will provide a healing space and fulfill its role as a health partner that shares a healthy environment with the local community," Park said.
