Prerequisites of Implementing Smart Hospitals in Iran

Rapid advancement of industry and technology in recent decades has led to emergence of the concept of smart hospitals. New technologies are used in smart hospitals to improve healthcare quality, safety, and productivity. This study was conducted to investigate the prerequisites and challenges of implementing smart hospitals in Iran.

This analytical review was conducted in the summer of 2023. For this purpose, relevant articles about smart hospitals were searched in PubMed, Scopus, and SID databases. Subsequently, the prerequisites and challenges of implementing smart hospitals in Iran were identified and extracted via reviewing and analyzing these articles,. Finally, the obtained results were categorized and presented in this paper.

The most important technological and infrastructural prerequisitesinclude full implementation of electronic health records, utilizing artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms, establishing clinical decision support systems, deploying the internet of things and sensors, developing proper networking and hardware infrastructure, and adopting international standards. Also, existing challenges comprise cultural and organizational resistance, lack of financial resources, shortage of skilled workforce, poor technical infrastructure, and limitations due to sanctions.

Implementing smart hospitals in Iran requires providing infrastructure and fulfilling technological prerequisites as well as overcoming the existing challenges. Given the current situation, it is suggested that this objective be achieves gradually with a focus on certain areas or processes. Moreover, meticulous strategic planning involving all stakeholders is essential.