The 17th Cross-Strait Forum — Health and Wellness Sub-Forum was held in Xiamen City, Fujian Province, from 13 to 16 June. Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau (KWNC) participated wholeheartedly in this event. President Van Iat Kio, Lecturer Li Xiang, and Lecturer Li Yueyi represented the college at the 'Nursing Practice and Technological Innovation Sub-Forum.' There, they engaged in in-depth discussions with experts and scholars from both sides of the strait on innovative developments in the nursing field. They also jointly promoted a new chapter in cross-strait health and wellness cooperation.
 
Theme: Innovation and Integration: the key to bringing together health and wellness forces from both sides of the strait.
The National Health Commission and the Xiamen Municipal Government co-hosted this Health and Wellness Sub-Forum. The theme was 'Innovation Leading the Way, Technology Driving Progress, Promoting Integration and Collaboration, and Building Health Together'. It attracted over 1,000 representatives from both sides of the strait. The forum had 12 sub-forums. They covered topics such as hospital management, smart healthcare and mental health. The event offered a platform for in-depth exchanges and cooperation between healthcare professionals from both sides of the Taiwan Strait through keynote speeches, specialised discussions and experience sharing. Vice Minister Cao Xuetang of the National Health Commission confidently delivered a speech at the opening ceremony, outlining the latest developments in mainland China's health and wellness sector. He also announced specific measures to support Fujian Province in establishing a demonstration zone for cross-strait integration and development. He urged his colleagues from both sides of the strait to actively participate in the 'Ten Affectionate Actions' initiative within the health and wellness system, working together to safeguard the health and well-being of all Chinese people.
President Van: A Decade of Exploration in Building Dementia-Friendly Communities
In the sub-forum on ‘Nursing Practice and Technological Innovation,’ President Van Iat Kio delivered a speech titled ‘Building Dementia-Friendly Communities: KWNC's 10-Year Journey,’ sharing the college's practical experience in dementia care. President Van reviewed the college's efforts over the past decade in addressing the challenges of an ageing society, including the establishment of the ‘Benevolence lights up my later life’ project, the establishment of the Healthy Ageing and Research Centre, the cultivation of professional nursing talent, the promotion of community health education, and the promotion of cross-institutional cooperation. These initiatives comprehensively support the Macao SAR government’s advocacy of the ‘ageing in place’ policy, improve residents’ quality of life, and build a harmonious society. These achievements have provided valuable experience for dementia care models in Macao and across the Taiwan Strait.
 
The Deep Integration of Technology and Nursing: The Value of Artificial Intelligence and Specialised Nursing
During the discussion session on ‘The Integration and Innovation of Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, and Nursing Practice,’ Lecturer Li Xiang engaged in in-depth exchanges with experts and scholars from renowned institutions such as Taipei Medical University and Fudan University Affiliated Huashan Hospital. Lecturer Li Xiang shared the application prospects of artificial intelligence technology in nursing education based on the teaching practices of KWNC in the field of smart nursing, and explored how big data can assist in the scientific and precise decision-making of nursing. She emphasised that the core of nursing remains the warm connection between people, and in the era of rapid technological development, we should place even greater emphasis on the warmth of humanistic care.
 
In the discussion session on ‘The Value of Specialist Nurses in Integrated Healthcare,’ Lecturer Li Yueyi engaged in in-depth discussions with experts from institutions such as the Taiwan Nursing Management Association and the Beijing Friendship Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University on the role, training model, and career development of specialist nurses. The discussion covered important issues such as collaboration mechanisms for specialised nurses in interdisciplinary teams, standardisation of specialised nursing skills, and how to leverage greater professional value within integrated healthcare systems, providing new insights for the future development of specialised nursing.