"Healthcare technology innovation is rightly seen as the answer to many of the challenges facing global health systems, and the UK Government’s ongoing investment in growing capabilities in areas such as AI and data-driven healthcare, has further fuelled the creation of cutting edge, evidence-based solutions." - Prahlad.

Demand for healthcare services is growing and patients have ever-increasing expectations about the safety and quality of NHS services. Regulations are becoming not only tighter but more complex. The NHS must excel in providing healthcare solutions and digitalisation is key to enabling this. The concept revolutionises hospitals on a human, financial and operational level and is leading to the evolution of smart hospitals.

Smart hospitals are holistic, interdisciplinary innovators. Although smart hospitals require advanced technologies, becoming a smart hospital is not merely about IT. Rather, it is a deeply embedded, system-wide process that requires the participation of all stakeholders. The benefits are enormous - smart hospitals can help to offer lower infection risks, enhanced security, improve patient satisfaction and optimise resources. Smart infrastructure enables the collection and analysis of patient data to predict disease and intervene quicker. This means physicians can have access to patient data to make better decisions. It means patients can be seen by medical professionals without travelling long distances. It means citizens can educate themselves on their health and wellness and undertake basic tasks.

In 2021, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced a draft strategy titled Data Saves Lives: Reshaping health and social care with data. One key aspect is the development of smart hospitals, leveraging the use of interoperability to redesign traditional processes. At a time when the NHS is recovering from the backlog created by the pandemic, these systems can significantly improve capacity issues and reduce staff burnout by creating intelligently optimised patient healthcare journeys.

One of the critical aspects of smart hospitals is… 

Check out the full article here: techUK - Why healthcare innovation is seen as the answer to many of the challenges facing global health systems.