‘Smart Hospital’ Integrating Advanced Technology in Hospitals... Increased User Satisfaction

Smart Hospital Example

A smart hospital refers to a hospital that utilizes information and communication technology (ICT) in healthcare to enhance patient safety and improve the quality of medical services. The Ministry of Health and Welfare has been selecting areas that require the application of advanced technologies in medical institutions annually through the 2020 Smart Hospital project and supporting the development and demonstration of smart hospital leading models.

As advanced technologies have been integrated into medical institutions, overall user satisfaction has reportedly increased. Last year, under the theme of ‘patient-centered communication,’ three projects were promoted: ▲Smart Operating Room (Chungnam National University Hospital consortium) ▲Smart Inpatient Environment (Seoul National University Hospital consortium, Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital consortium) ▲Patient and Caregiver Education (Yonsei University Severance Hospital consortium).

According to the 2022 performance report of the smart hospital project institutions announced on the 4th by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, the establishment of smart operating rooms reduced the waiting time from arrival at the operating room to entering the surgery room by 8.7% (23 minutes → 21 minutes). Real-time sharing of surgery progress information also increased caregiver satisfaction by 18% (3.45 points → 4.36 points).

It was also confirmed that the admission process time was reduced by more than half, from the previous 3 minutes 29 seconds to 1 minute 23 seconds, by enabling admission procedures through a mobile app. The satisfaction rate for maternal and caregiver education improved significantly (54% → 98%). The education satisfaction increase was analyzed to be due to the transition from using paper handouts to a mobile-centered online education system.

Eun Seong-ho, Director of Advanced Medical Support at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated, “The 2022 smart hospital project aimed to innovate hospitals to provide patient-centered customized medical services from surgery, admission, to post-discharge,” adding, “We will support the meaningful outcomes to be expanded to other hospitals.”

Cha Sun-do, President of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, said, “In smart hospitals, active patient participation and communication with medical staff are expanded during the treatment process, which can enhance the patient experience,” and added, “We will spare no support to ensure that excellent outcomes can be continuously operated in medical settings.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.