If you close your eyes and imagine the hospital of the future, some images may come to mind. Robots wandering the corridors and checking the vital states of patients. Machines that distribute drugs or perform complex surgeries.
While these would not be silly ideals to aim for, Health Infrastructure Executive Director Rebecca Wark believes that sometimes it is the simplest innovations that make the biggest difference in the patient experience.
“There’s something to be said for simplicity when planning future hospitals,” Wark said.
“Radical innovations that drastically alter clinical practice are important, but so are the more basic technology upgrades that make a big difference in making patients and their families feel comfortable, such as better Wi-Fi connections, so visitors stay by the bed for longer “.
Wark’s aspirations for healthcare technologies that have not yet been invented are of a similar nature: simple tools that support people through the hospital system or minimize physician involvement.
“I would love to get to a point where doctors can collect data from smart watches, so you don’t have to have an ECG the moment you go into the hospital. Or have a communications system that you send a text message when it’s your turn to be seen at a fracture clinic, so patients don’t have to sit for hours when their child breaks an ankle.
“It may seem counterintuitive to prioritize simplicity in hiring health care, but tools like this can often have the most significant impact on a patient’s mental or physical health.”
An ongoing topic
This kind of thinking is necessary as the Wark team plans and delivers NSW Health’s $ 10.8 billion infrastructure pipeline. In addition to simplicity, Wark says that thinking small, not big, is sometimes more effective in achieving health outcomes.
“People tend to think that bigger is better, but within the hospital environment, the opposite may be true. When you make hospitals more compact and set up spaces for good ergonomics and visibility, then make it easier for them to doctors monitor patients and resources go further. “
Smaller rooms may also be better suited to the future healthcare landscape. With the rise in virtual care, Wark predicts that hospitals will see fewer acute patients over time; despite the increase in chronic diseases and the aging of the population.
“There is a big step towards home and community care, and we are working closely with our partners to make it easier. In general, people don’t like going to hospitals; and hospital care is not always the more cost-effective way to treat people. Therefore, technologies that completely eliminate the need for hospital treatment are incredibly valuable. “
A major challenge in this change will be to ensure the quality of the patient’s digital experience. Here, innovation, including advances in portable devices that monitor people’s vital signs at home, will play a key role.
These technologies, such as the Apple or Garmin watch, are already in use around the world. However, tools that further compare the patient experience at home with hospital care will be critical, according to Dr. Stephanie Allen, head of healthcare at Big Four Consultancy Deloitte.
“A major challenge in our drive for more widespread virtual care will be to ensure the quality of the patient experience at home. We need to serve people at home on an equal, if not better, level than at home. ‘hospital, and technology will play a key role in that,’ ‘he said.
“In an ideal scenario, we would have all the health data we need collected from people at home using sensors and devices and we would instantly hang up on some kind of operational command center. Here nurses and doctors could see it in time. real and choose and administer treatment accordingly “.
Wellness drive
Many of the technologies that enable virtual care could also help propel the country toward “physical and mental well-being,” a paradigm that complements the more traditional approach to addressing “illness” and “injury.” health care.
“Portable technologies that measure heart rate, oxygen levels, mood, physical movement, and caloric intake, for example, will not only help nurses monitor patients’ conditions from a distance, but that will also help people make informed decisions and make proactive healthy decisions about their own lifestyle, ”Allen said.
Technologies that help prevent hospital readmission are also valuable. For example, Prince Alfred of Sydney’s virtual hospital in Sydney recently launched a tool for lower leg vascular ulcers to promote healing, so that patients wear and change compression stockings, or make a follow up with your GP.
Dr. Allen said that while the engineering behind many of these technologies can be complex, they offer simple solutions to existing health challenges.
“With advances in cloud engineering, systems and data interoperability, and the promise of 5G, we have many of the ingredients we need to achieve national health outcomes. Now we need to put the threads together in a simple way, intuitive and easy to use “.
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