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CMU Uses Health Data to Develop SMART PRIMARY CARE, Improving Primary Healthcare

2 November 2026
Corporate Communication and Alumni Relations Center (CCARC)
Chiang Mai University, through the Global Health Research Center (GHRC), Faculty of Medicine, led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chaisiri Angkurawaranon and a multidisciplinary research team, has developed SMART PRIMARY CARE to use health data to improve primary healthcare, particularly for patients with non-communicable diseases (NCDs), enabling more targeted and continuous care.

The initiative integrates four key dimensions: Learning Health System, Precision Care, Resilient Care, and Connected Care. Its system helps healthcare professionals identify patients who need additional attention, including those who have missed follow-up appointments, have uncontrolled hypertension, or are at high risk of cardiovascular disease.

Developed in collaboration with Queen Mary University of London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, with support from the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the project is being piloted at 16 primary healthcare facilities in Chiang Mai and Lamphun. It currently covers over 100,000 patients with hypertension, with plans to expand to more than 400,000 people.

In the pilot areas, the system identified 381 patients who had missed follow-up appointments, successfully reconnecting 213 (56%) with healthcare services. It also improved the identification of patients at high cardiovascular risk and contributed to better blood pressure control.

GHRC is further advancing health innovations using technology and AI, including personalized weight management, PM2.5-related health risk monitoring, and cardiovascular risk assessment. The initiative reflects CMU's commitment to translating research and data into more effective, accessible, and sustainable healthcare.
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