Healthcare is not what it used to be a few decades ago.

Advanced technologies and a data-driven ecosystem have changed the way hospitals and medical facilities work. Nowadays, healthcare providers all over the globe are implementing the best technologies to put high-quality patient care in the front seat. They are combining the best elements to make healthcare facilities patient-centric, with safety and satisfaction as primary goals.

This radical shift is possible with the help of RTHS or Real-Time Health Systems. It forms the backbone of Smart Hospitals by bringing forth several benefits powered by data, cloud, AI, IoTH, VR, etc. These benefits include:

  • Seamless information and communication in real-time
  • Highly aware infrastructure to accommodate the changing needs of patients and healthcare professionals
  • A connected ecosystem that leverages data to manage waste
  • Lowered costs with data-driven decision-making and environment optimization
  • Enhanced patient care with optimal utilization of medical services and facilities

So, how are hospitals benefitting from RHTS? Let’s take a look at these hospitals around the world that have benefitted from RHTS –

Union Hospital – Hong Kong

Union Hospital, located in Sha Tin, is known for providing high-quality medical care in Hong Kong. It is also a trusted medical facility for the country as well as southern China. In 2014, the hospital implemented a 5-step renovation process to enhance the safety of patients, workers, and staff. This included implementation of a Renovation Monitoring System, with the aim of having a comprehensive training, evaluation, and continuous quality improvement.

A modern mobile point of care solution was another method employed by the hospital to provide exceptional facilities. The hospital’s Mobile Clinical Solution (MCS) has combined innovative health information technologies with everyday operations using features such as electronic prescription, doctor consultation, examination request, etc. This, along with Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and cloud technology streamlined the journey of the patients and healthcare professionals by providing them all information at their fingertips leading to increased satisfaction for the patients and the staff.

That apart, the hospital employed location and condition-sensing patient throughput and capacity management platforms. It included an RFID temperature-sensing technology along with other systems such as bed boarding, bed management, and patient flow, patient classification, and staff scheduling. All in all, such modern systems have helped the hospital gain a reputation for providing exceptional services in the region.

Sykehuset Hospital – Klanes, Norway

By 2020, the adult population over the age of 65 will outnumber the children under the age of 5. This points at the need for efficient and reliable health care. Norway is one of the countries that is aiming to bridge the gap for the aging population. The country has committed an investment of 750 million NOK per month in hospitals till 2020 for this purpose. The target is to combine digitalization, modernization and increasing the capacities of the healthcare units.

Sykehuset Ostfold is the perfect example of this. One of the most modern hospitals in Europe, it was an early adopter of RTHS and technologies using which, the hospital has been able to increase its operational efficiency, improve processes, and provide integrated quality care.

The hospital heavily focuses on employing sensor technologies to automate and optimize manual processes, thereby saving time and reducing errors and costs. For instance, electronic whiteboards installed in the hospital provide real-time information. This, in turn, also assists the healthcare professionals to decide the flow, logistics, and priority, communicate effectively, access electronic medical charts, etc. These factors have made the hospital a sought-after patient care facility.

Roy & Patrica Disney Family Cancer Center – Burbank, California

The Roy & Patrica Disney Family Cancer Center had a vision of a patient-centric cancer center. They wanted to be a facility that helps reduce the fatigue, anxiety, and stress associated with cancer treatment and therapy.

The hospital employed the Philips “Ambient Experience” lighting system, which lets patients choose the temperature, color, sound, and video in their treatment room. The idea is to help them relax at the time of the treatment by creating a soothing environment. The hospital has also automated workflows based on patient movement and context to take its services to the next level.

By using the latest technologies, the hospital has been able to provide a highly immersive and intuitive experience not just to the patients, but to their families as well.

Lucile Packard Children Hospital – Palo Alto, California

The Lucile Packard Children Hospital in California boasts of implementation of a very advanced clinical technology and sophisticated interactive patient care and edutainment systems.

The hospital’s new building has state-of-the-art pediatric heart catheterization rooms. These rooms are integrated with the Stanford Virtual Heart project. It uses immersive virtual reality technology to explain complex congenital heart defects to patients, families, and medical trainees. This helps them provide critical care more efficiently and better explain the disease and the course of treatment.

The hospital has several pieces of edutainment technology – There are digital interactive walls that provide engaging and educative material to the patients and their families. There are electronic whiteboards at every clinical unit offering key information about patients and the care teams. The new patient rooms also have Smart TVs for the entertainment of the patients.

The hospital also employs a Real-Time Locating System (RTLS) that helps the hospital stakeholders quickly track critical medical equipment. The families of the patients also get RTLS badges that help them identify their care teams. When the staff members enter the room, a ceiling scanner reads the badges and displays their role on the Smart TV screen, leading to a smooth flow of information without interrupting the patient or the family members.

Implementing such state-of-the-art technology has led to higher operational efficiencies and better risk management for the hospital.

Humble River Hospital – Ontario, Canada

The Humble River Hospital in Ontario, Canada is North America’s first fully digital hospital. It uses up-to-date technologies to deliver enhanced quality of patient care, ensure accuracy, reliability, safety and improve efficiency.

The facility employs a Portals of Care concept, which assigns each clinic a different space and entrance. This makes wayfinding easier for the patients and they can reach their destination within the facility quickly.

In addition to this, it also has smart bed technology, robotics, automated laboratory processing, bedside computer screens, location- and condition-sensing services, VoIP and video over IP, mobile point-of-care systems, and automated building system controls.

Together with these technologies, the hospital has achieved a considerable cost reduction, a better ecosystem within the facility, predictive analysis for preventative care, and also quick response time – leading to enhanced patient satisfaction and experience.

The healthcare ecosystem is constantly evolving and as these examples show, hospitals around the world have started leveraging the power of technology to deliver quality care at a reduced cost and also optimize their operations. How is your hospital taking advantage of latest smart technologies?