| Popis: |
Hospital facilities are critical social infrastructures where the assets and process performance are closely related to the service provided to the patients, i.e., ensuring/improving their health in a timely manner. Digital technologies conveying the Digital Twin concept deeply affect the product, process, and service design and management and, therefore, can significantly impact hospital management. This paper aims to identify the key variables that inform opportunities for hospital digitalisation, providing a baseline for Digital Twin ideation. Inspired by the collective body of technology forecasts in the literature, through evidence-based research conducted with a histopathology department in the East of England, and focusing on holistic digital transformation aspects of a healthcare establishment (a hospital, laboratory, or pharmaceutical company), we categorise hospital-specific challenge areas and features that a Digital Twin can address. Further, we identify a set of eight parameters across the healthcare processes/ product/service chain that need to be considered for generating transformative insights and relevant Key Performance Indicators for a hospital Digital Twin. The case study on the histopathology department provides insights into the areas where digital transformation can inform operational decision-making. Finally, the challenges in developing a Hospital Digital Twin are identified. |
