The pandemic has uncovered and amplified the struggles the healthcare sector is facing. From huge doctor workloads to unsatisfied patients to unorganized facilities where employees waste hours searching for critical equipment. Another influential factor is the emergence of “informed patients” who refuse to receive care passively. They ask for more information and demand a say in their treatment choices. Many medical facilities have already turned to for a smart hospital makeover, which will help them cope with the pandemic and build their services around the patient. healthcare technology companies This article provides the market overview of smart hospital technology and highlights some aspects that you can consider before digging into implementation. What is a Smart Hospital, and How it Works Smart hospitals use data and technology to improve their processes and patients’ well-being. They operate in a highly automated and optimized environment. Such medical facilities deploy connected devices, , and data analytics. Smart rooms will look differently in each hospital, but they all serve the same goals — improving patient experience, streamlining clinical workflows, and facilitating communication. AI Smart hospitals are inspired by the idea that patients are customers, and they expect medical facilities to cater to their needs. As the term “customer” indicates an active and more demanding buyer, intelligent hospitals do their best to offer a unique experience instead of purely focusing on treatments. They even extend their services to patients’ caregivers. For instance, Stanford Hospital retains a health librarian who will help family members find resources to understand the particular diagnosis and prepare to support the patient at their home. Equipping a hospital with smart wards is pricy. The costs can reach tens of thousands of dollars per room. One listing even a quarter of a million for just one ward. mentions Source Digital vs. Smart It is important to mention that digitalization doesn’t make hospitals smart by default. Implementing digital systems, such as , is a step towards becoming smart, but it is not the end goal in itself. For example, investing in EHR and abandoning paper-based records doesn’t make a hospital smart, but it is a step in the right direction. Digitalized systems will enable you to capture data. Then you can and benefit from . robotic process automation in healthcare establish a data strategy analytics in healthcare How do smart hospitals work? Smart hospitals put data together through complex integrated systems. , “integration begins at the ward level where different systems like lighting, climate control, and shading are combined in one infrastructure (total room automation).” According to Siemens McKinsey views smart hospitals as patient-centric facilities connected to an ecosystem of other organizations and sharing data with them. In such an ecosystem, healthcare management programs are delivered at various locations, including gyms and patients’ homes. Hospitals primarily focus on complex procedures, such as surgeries and intensive care. Source Technology-wise, smart hospitals use the Internet of Things (IoT) and employ a variety of other innovative technologies. This list includes: . This technology is often used to and other maladies at early stages. AI is also an indispensable part of intelligent automation. Artificial intelligence (AI) detect cancer . It contributes to disease detection and treatment, facilitates medical research, and manages population health, among other merits. Big data analytics . It is a powerful tool in pain management, mental health therapy, and medical staff training. Augmented reality (AR) . Medical IoB includes solutions for remote patient monitoring, connected hospital beds that record patients’ vitals, and . The Internet of Bodies (IoB) biometric-powered authentication systems . To sustain an intelligent hospital system, you will need to aggregate and analyze large quantities of data. It would be a challenge to accomplish this task fully on premises. And here’s where cloud computing comes in useful. Cloud platforms Source Smart Hospital Examples The Norwegian startup Ably Medical provides an exciting example of a smart bed suitable for senior patients. has embedded sensors to measure patients’ vital signs, weight, and other parameters. It can notify doctors if a patient’s condition begins to deteriorate. The bed’s flexible frame presents another interesting feature. It can adjust automatically to prevent patients from falling or to turn them to alleviate pressure points on their bodies. Ably Bed supports nurses in moving patients around, which can cause injury. Ably Bed Watch this video to learn more about how this bed was designed and how it helps nurses. For another inspiration, let’s take a look at the Sunway Medical Center, which won . This smart center used its technology to adapt well to the pandemic and serve its patients in these difficult times. It has established a connected Telemedicine Command Center that allows remote consultations during the pandemic. Sunway also offers a connected contactless COVID-19 Testing Pod and a vaccination center. Frost & Sullivan‘s 2021 Malaysia Smart Hospital Company award Within its facilities, Sunway is experimenting with innovative technology as well. It has state-of-the-art equipment for radiation treatment for neurological conditions. Its hospital beds are equipped with sensors to monitor patients’ sleep and respiratory rates. On the entertainment side, patients can browse the meal and beverage menu on their smartphones, select options, and place orders in advance. Source Smart Hospital Solutions Available on the Market The global smart hospital market is valued at , and it is expected to jump to $59 billion by 2026. Another research suggests that the smart hospital market will already cross the . Either way, it’s a promising field, and there are many smart hospital solutions on the market. They can be classified in the following list: $29 billion in 2021 $63 billion mark by 2023 Patient monitoring in smart hospitals Intelligent hospitals use various patient monitoring solutions both inside the healthcare facility and at the patients’ homes. Here are some examples of smart hospital solutions falling under this category: Displaying relevant patient information at their room entrance: Smart hospitals replace digital banners outside patients’ wards with digital signage. Its display is not limited to the patient’s and the attending physician’s names. Digital signage can connect to the patient’s EHR and project helpful information, such as infections, allergies, and fall risk, among other relevant data. This technology can also introduce visitors to compliance protocols and keep track of people entering the room. Source : different health tech companies propose their version of monitoring solutions. For example, built an intelligent hospital system that measures patients’ vitals and alerts the medical staff when someone’s condition is about to deteriorate. developed a smartwatch and smartphone app based on a patented algorithm to recognize vital information indicating a seizure. Monitoring patients’ vitals Thoughtwire BioLert : Millbrae-based uses avatar technology to help elderly patients manage their chronic conditions. Doctors and nurses can interact with the users through this avatar, helping them cope without frequent hospital visits. Catering to vulnerable patient groups Care Coach Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore employs a system that from the moment of admission to discharge. This solution can locate patients around the hospital in real time. Locating patients: monitors patient flow Asset Tracking in Smart Hospitals Studies show that nurses spend around searching for lost equipment, and in 16% of the cases, they don’t find what they are looking for and give up. Smart hospitals can supply their equipment with Bluetooth-based iBeacons, RFID, or QR tags and display their real-time location on a dashboard. Such a system can even show which assets are disinfected and are ready to use and which ones are still in preparation mode. 40 hours per month Just recently, the OLVG hospital in the Netherlands teamed up with Philips and the Eindhoven University of Technology to . They used location-aware tags and real-time big data analytics. The preliminary results showed that this type of solutions can be successfully used in hospital settings. experiment with locating mobile assets Sensors can also be used to locate medical personnel and even ensure that they are following the hospital’s hygiene protocol. For example, Hygenix, Inc employed ITRex to , which monitors hospital staff’s hand hygiene practices. Thanks to this solution, the participating hospitals witnessed a 70% increase in hygiene compliance. develop an IoT-powered solution Predictive Maintenance in  Intelligent Hospitals Smart hospitals use analytics to detect early signs of failing equipment. Some tools can even predict failure before it actually affects the performance of a device based on changes in its characteristics. Here are a few examples: An Indian startup, , developed a solution that can catch on early signs of oxygen decrease in intensive care units and transfer this information to a command center where emergency doctors can act immediately and adjust oxygen supply. CloudPhysician Saratoga intelligent hospital in New York to monitor different risks associated with medical hardware. It can report any potential failures before the equipment is out of service. uses Philips electronic devices Smart hospital management systems A hospital is a complex system, which involves people, equipment, infrastructure, and many different processes. Managing everything manually is an exhausting task. Smart hospitals employ digital solutions to streamline workflows and provide an overview of the facility. Here are some types of tools that help with hospital management: Location-based monitoring: such tools use analytics to identify the most visited hospital areas that often experience bottlenecks and risks of infection and which locations are utilized at half of their capacity. They can also monitor room and hallway cleaning. For instance, Seattle-based developed cloud-powered software that aggregates data from hospitals’ smart medical devices and identifies which areas are underutilized and can be more efficient. Optio3 Building management: a Chinese BOE Hefei Digital Hospital has a that connects different operations with the help of IoT. For instance, their patient flow system is linked to the building management hub, allowing heating, lights, and other utilities to turn on automatically just before patient arrival. hospital management system Smart hospital management software: such solutions enable hospitals to coordinate different operations from one single platform. For example, , an Indian health tech startup, designed smart hospital software that serves as one access point for appointments, billing, laboratory reports, etc. Sanela Technologies Digital twins: this virtual reality-powered technology allows medical facilities to create digital twins to simulate changes and assess alternatives if the hospital wants to expand or optimize space utilization. An Irish startup uses edge computing and fusion sensors to create 3D digital twins. REIVR Disease Diagnosing Smart Hospital Technology Smart hospitals incorporate applications that help healthcare practitioners to diagnose diseases faster and with higher accuracy. Here are a few examples: Samsung teamed up with KT to offer , vastly accelerating the diagnosing process. Traditionally, the tissue obtained during surgery has to be treated and only then sent to a pathologist. This can take up to 20 minutes. With Samsung’s technology, pathologists can access the necessary data and make their decision faster. 5G-driven pathological analysis A healthcare startup from San Francisco, , uses AI in genomics to detect and categorize cancer from a blood test. It measures cell-free biomarkers and circulating proteins to spot the disease and identify its type and stage. Freenome Patient Entertainment in Smart Hospitals Intelligent hospitals are built around the patient and their needs. Such establishments not only focus on their customers’ health, but also want them to feel comfortable during their stay. One example of in-hospital entertainment comes from Cedars-Sinai and BayCare Health System. Both healthcare facilities deployed , which allow patients to call their relatives and friends, access the TV and radio in hands-free mode, and reach out to their care providers with requests. Using this technology, hospital staff can also communicate with patients informing them about menu changes, games, and podcasts. specialized Amazon Alexa devices Navigation in Smart Hospitals Smart healthcare centers employ digital way-finding techniques to help patients and visitors navigate these large establishments with ease. If visitors can’t find their way around the facility, they will be late for appointments and will arrive feeling stressed, which compromises customer experience. Additionally, they may contract infections when wandering into the wrong areas. The UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital benefits from technology to navigate its visitors inside and outside the facility. The solution helps customers find parking spaces, reach their appointment locations, and notify medical staff of their arrival. Pointr’s Deep Location What to Consider Before You Begin Smart Hospital Implementation Transforming your healthcare facility into an intelligent hospital is a complicated endeavor. In one hospital, smart rooms will look different, as they are designed with a specific patient population in mind. They will use a distinct set of technologies corresponding to the selected patient segment’s needs. Independently of your ward design and the targeted patient group, there are some steps that you can take at the very beginning of your project to increase your chance at success: Establish your vision of a smart hospital As a first step, it is paramount to understand the unique needs of your healthcare facility. It will be helpful to organize requirements elicitation sessions with different experts from your team, such as doctors, nurses, support staff, etc. You can use focus groups or individual interviews. This will help you uncover the pain points of your employees. For example, if you learn that doctors are wasting too much time locating their colleagues, then location tagging is a must for your intelligent hospital system. Evaluate your existing technology and infrastructure Analyze your existing legacy systems to understand what can operate as a part of the smart hospital initiative, what needs to be modernized, and what needs to be replaced or is missing. Don’t limit your focus to digital applications. Evaluate your facility’s infrastructure, such as lighting and air conditioning systems, as they are also a part of the prospective smart hospital solution. You can conduct this evaluation together with your selected technology vendor so that they can document the gaps. Resolve integration issues In the ideal smart hospital environment, all devices are expected to interconnect together. But in our reality, hospital smart devices are produced by different vendors and can’t be properly integrated. Keep this in mind when selecting your machines and applications. If you are beginning your digitalization path, you can choose one particular vendor and stick with them till the end. But if you already have solutions from distinct vendors in place and you want to build on top of that, then you can turn to a vendor-agnostic provider who will build custom solutions that fit your existing system and help connect your heterogenous devices. Think about data interoperability If your facility doesn’t follow one of the widespread standards, it would be worth investing in one. This will enable you to fit into the interconnected healthcare ecosystem described at the beginning of this article and to team up with other healthcare providers. healthcare data interoperability Invest in cybersecurity The more connected devices and systems you have, the more vulnerabilities it offers for malicious activities. According to HIPAA Journal, have experienced an IoT-induced cyberattack in the past 18 months. You can emphasize the importance of cybersecurity by involving a cyber protection engineer when developing smart hospital use cases. 82% of healthcare organizations And here are a few simple steps that you can take to protect your intelligent hospital system: Install timely software updates Protect all devices with strong passwords that are changed frequently Back up your sensitive files on a secondary system Educate employees on your cybersecurity policy Benefit from a virtual private network (VPN) if you need to connect to a network that you don’t trust On a Final Note With all their benefits, smart hospitals are a costly investment. However, considering where the healthcare field is headed, passing on smart technologies might cost you even more. Nowadays, patients expect healthcare providers to aggregate and access their data rapidly, whether in health records or medical imaging. They want assistance in hospital navigation, entertainment in their rooms, and fast response from medical staff. Likewise, doctors and nurses are tired of being overwhelmed with manual tasks. They are looking for technology-based assistance, which will be a factor when considering new employment opportunities. If you are ready to incorporate sensors and connected devices into your environment, it is a good idea to start searching for a reliable to build your intelligent hospital system. Be sure that the selected vendor can also integrate your existing devices and applications or point you to a reasonable substitute. After all is done, your hospital will be ready to match and even exceed the expectations of both patients and staff members. IoT healthcare service provider Do you want to transform your medical facility? Their healthcare experts will help you build and install IoT devices. They can also assist you with data analytics, intelligent automation, and AI-powered diagnostics solutions. Drop ITRex Group a line!

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Smart Hospitals: A Market Overview and Prevailing Trends

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