University Hospital Aachen

The Universitätsklinikum Aachen (“University Hospital Aachen”, UKA) is a German university hospital, affiliated with the RWTH Aachen University and known for its advanced medical research and innovative treatments. It is one of Europe’s largest hospital buildings, housing 32 clinics and institutes covering a wide range of medical specialties such as cardiology, neurology, oncology, and transplantation. Since its establishment in 1870, UKA has grown into one of the largest and most respected medical centers in Germany and across the borders of neighbor countries, employing over 8,000 staff members and treating more than 300,000 patients each year. In addition to its clinical activities, UKA is also known for its groundbreaking research in the fields of medicine, biology, and engineering. Its scientists and physicians collaborate closely with other academic institutions and industry partners to develop new therapies and technologies. 

The Clinic for Operative Intensive Medicine and Intermediate Care (OIM) is the one of the largest clinics within the University Hospital Aachen. The clinic consists of seven wards with ~130 patient beds providing interdisciplinary care in more than seven key medical areas ranging from severe trauma to weaning. In addition to the patient care activities, the OIM is also highly active in research and development, producing over 150 publications per year in high-impact journals. It also houses the Telemedicine Center (TMZ), which provides more than 1000 remote consultations to regional hospitals per year, allowing the regional hospitals to access medical specialists. Furthermore, TMZ is a pioneer in the field of eHealth research and developed THALEA, which is a remote multi-ICU monitoring platform with international partners as a part of the EU Horizon 2020 Programme. Working closely with TMZ under OIM is the Innovation Center for Digital Medicine (IZDM). IZDM is the pacemaker and initiator for the further development of digital medicine and the improvement of intersectoral patient care in Germany and Europe. The center focuses on the research and development of a variety of topics from clinical robotics, clinical decision support systems, to digital skills education for healthcare transformation.

Role of institution in the project

UKA is involved in WPs 6 and 7. In T6.3 UKA will participate in the definition and implementation of privacy-preserving components by contributing its perspectives in both German national and international experiences in dealing with patient data protection. In T7.1a UKA will help dissemenate the external open call for new use cases. In T7.1b UKA will give input on potential use cases that require the perspective of  Intensive Care Medicine. In T7.2 UKA will contribute ICU Data. In T7.3 UKA will provide ICU perspectives on data and tools. In T7.4 UKA will provide ICU perspectives of the platform.