The sustainability of the healthcare system, especially during a crisis like the one we are experiencing, is an issue that all countries face, though with varying nuances.
For Italy, already economically strained due to high public debt, the issue of cost sustainability and the effective use of healthcare funds (which are hoped to come soon from the European Union) results in an inevitable choice between maintaining the status quo or changing direction towards more “responsible” investments. This would involve implementing tools that quickly deliver productive and measurable results.
Creating added value should be the primary criterion for choosing interventions, with the understanding that the analysis of hospital processes must necessarily involve a careful examination of the actions carried out in this delicate sector. If all healthcare managements had access to data covering the entire hospital, highlighting critical areas quickly and accurately, it would be possible not only to provide better service to patients but also to address issues that inevitably affect the operating costs of the facility and the stress levels of the staff.
Analyzing and improving processes, digitalizing critical steps, and utilizing IoT tools means investing in areas that lead not only to a safer and more modern healthcare system but also to resource savings that can be used for research and purchasing equipment.
Certainly, the Italian healthcare system needs more funds, of this we are all convinced, but we are also aware that investing in the future is both possible and necessary. Only such investments will allow us to focus resources where they are truly needed and eliminate the waste that inevitably arises where processes are not adequately engineered.
One example: a simple delay in transferring a patient to the operating room generates a significant cost for the facility, considering that each delay is multiplied by the number of operators assigned to the surgical intervention as well as the use of the operating room itself. Reflecting on how many processes could be made more fluid and secure through intelligent use of technology, we see how these unmonitored procedures are cost multipliers for hospital facilities, compromising both patient and staff safety, who face difficulties due to a lack of innovation.
For these reasons, we believe that the Internet of Things should increasingly become integral to the management of healthcare facilities, as it is currently the most effective tool for process monitoring and waste reduction.
