DIGITAL HOSPITAL ; AN EXAMPLE OF BEST PRACTICE

Abstract

Digital Hospital is a concept contributing to enhancing personnel productivity, facilitating hospital operations, improving the process quality and ensuring patient safety by integrating cutting-edge technologies such as medical devices, smart information systems, facility control and automatic conveyor systems, location-based services, sensors and digital communication tools into health processes. The primary aim of this study is to address the theoretical and practical aspects of “Digital (paperless) hospital” concept, which is addressed in a limited number of studies, and investigate the digital hospital practices of Izmir Tire Public Hospital and Giresun Tirebolu Public Hospital, which entered into the list of top digital hospitals in Europe as examples of best practices. The study was prepared based on the interviews with the managers of Tire Public Hospital and Tirebolu Public Hospital awarded with digital hospital certificates by HIMMS (International Accrediting Agency) in 2016. 18 hospitals received “Stage 6” and one hospital (Tire Public Hospital) received the top-level “Stage 7” digital hospital certificate, which was awarded to four hospitals in Europe by 2016 in Turkey. In the hospital transforming into a top level digital hospital and offering services with this concept; speed and efficiency of business processes increase, paper and document expenses are cut to zero, human-made errors are minimized. Diagnosis and treatment processes are provided not only within the hospital walls but also to long distances. By the help of digital hospitals health data are immediately and retrospectively retrieved at any time by the authorized body, other health institutions and patients and can be forwarded via sensors, cameras and early warning systems without requiring follow-up by humans, fast and right decisions can be given thanks to decision support systems, and the right medicine is administered to the right patient, at right doses and at the right time by the Closed Loop Drug Delivery System. With the widespread access to digital hospitals, it will be possible to benefit from all these advantages and offer the most effective and efficient healthcare services to the patients within the shortest time. Hospital personnel will have less workload and be less likely to make mistakes.