A pediatric emergency specialist at Samsung Medical Center says fears of staffing shortages drove her to develop an AI agent that gathers information from parents before they meet medical staff.
“These are heavy-hearted days. Conditions are tough, and the news is so devastating that I find myself wondering every day how much longer I can keep doing this work,” said Professor Son Meong-hi of the Department of Emergency Medicine at SMC during the HiPex (Hospital Innovation and Patient Experience Conference) 2026 Haeundae last Thursday.
Her remarks at Inje University Haeundae Paik Hospital came amid growing dismay in pediatric emergency medicine after police searched Ajou University Hospital’s pediatric emergency center.
Presenting her team’s work on a pediatric emergency communication agent and its validation system, Professor Son said the project began with concerns about the field’s shrinking workforce.
With fewer doctors applying for pediatric residency programs and fewer younger colleagues choosing pediatric emergency medicine, she had contemplated eventually staffing a pediatric emergency department alone.
The search at Ajou on Sept. 30 has brought those concerns into sharper fo...