COPD patients
Pollution-exposed residents
Lung cancer high-risk groups
Asthma & respiratory patients
Seniors with comorbidities
Smokers & secondhand exposed
Health & risk-conscious members
This project is led by Kaohsiung Municipal Siaogang Hospital, which has established a Smart Lung Health Clinic integrating teams from environmental and occupational medicine, pulmonary medicine, nursing, public health, and information technology. The initiative addresses health risks arising from long-term exposure to air pollution among residents in heavy industrial areas.
Through Geo-AI–based air pollution exposure estimation, real-time air quality monitoring, AI-driven disease risk prediction models, and the WaCare digital care platform, the project constructs a smart care closed-loop system encompassing air pollution detection, health data collection, disease early warning, clinical intervention, and behavioral feedback.
Clinical applications focus on COPD, high-risk populations for lung cancer, and early identification of tuberculosis, combined with outpatient follow-up, remote health education, and medication adherence management. These strategies effectively reduce the risks of acute exacerbations and hospital readmissions. In parallel, the project promotes inhaler package recycling and air pollution education, operationalizing ESG and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and establishing an innovative outpatient care model that balances clinical effectiveness, public health impact, and healthcare sustainability.
This project integrates Geo-AI–based air pollution exposure estimation, real-time monitoring, and AI-driven risk prediction models to establish a Smart Lung Health Clinic workflow. By linking environmental data, clinical indicators, and medication behaviors, the system supports early identification and risk-stratified interventions for high-risk populations with COPD and tuberculosis. The initiative further incorporates the WaCare digital avatar for remote follow-up and health education, while concurrently implementing an inhaler packaging recycling program to advance improvements in healthcare quality, patient safety management, and ESG-oriented healthcare objectives.
A cumulative total of 4,598 outpatient visits were provided.
The attendance rate reached 84.96%.
A total of 85 patients were referred to thoracic surgery.
A total of 38 patients underwent surgical intervention.
A total of 14 patients were diagnosed with lung cancer.
The WaCare App reached 1,934 active users in total.
A total of 74 patients with COPD were enrolled in case management and received continuous follow-up.
A total of 1,353 health interaction and clinical care records were accumulated.
A total of 32 community-based, healthcare, and long-term care collaborative service sites were established.
The overall incidence of acute COPD exacerbations decreased by approximately 20%.
The average length of hospital stay was reduced from 6.2 days to 5.0 days, representing a 19% reduction.
The average number of emergency department visits decreased from 1.6 visits per year to 0.6 visits per year.
After the implementation of AI-based risk stratification in 2025, the 14-day readmission rate was 0%.
The COPD readmission risk prediction model achieved an AUC of 0.85 in the validation dataset.
A total of 773 inhaler packages were collected for recycling.
The total carbon reduction was approximately 95.72 kg CO₂e.
Through app-based reminders, patients’ average medication adherence increased from 12.96% before implementation to 21.3% after implementation.
The reporting rate of serious medical adverse events was 0%.
System operational stability and reliability reached 100%.
AI model validation and calibration completion rate reached 100%.
AI response latency was maintained below 20 seconds.
Personal data de-identification and information security compliance rate reached 100%.
The App passed Information Security Certification Version 3.2.
A total of 3,412 physician–patient consultation interactions were recorded.
The system was implemented across 32 medical and long-term care service sites.
Overall service satisfaction exceeded 90%.
The outpatient follow-up retention rate among patients exceeded 80%.
The continuous usage rate among clinical staff reached 90%.
The platform retention rate across collaborating sites reached 100%.
Patient satisfaction with the inhaler package recycling program reached 89%.
Patient support for Kaohsiung Municipal Siaogang Hospital’s inhaler package recycling and reuse initiative reached 97%.
Established Taiwan–Japan collaboration on COPD management and smart care platforms.
Expanded Taiwan–Vietnam cooperation in smart health and care services.
Participated in trilateral Taiwan–Japan–Vietnam international symposiums and academic exchanges.
Project outcomes were published in international journals and presented at international conferences.
The WaCare smart care platform demonstrates strong potential for international deployment and replicability.
Hosted six international site visits and delegations, including participants from Japan and Vietnam.
Organized nine interdisciplinary environmental health academic conferences and symposiums, both domestically and internationally.
Established a Smart Lung Health Clinic model to enhance healthcare quality and patient safety for high-risk populations.
Reduced emergency department visits and hospital readmissions through real-time early warning systems and continuous follow-up.
Standardized clinical decision-making and care workflows, facilitating cross-setting replication and scalability.
Integrated digital care with resource management to improve the efficiency and stability of healthcare services.
Incorporated ESG and sustainability principles, generating positive impacts for domestic dissemination and international deployment.
