Welcome to the Smart Hospital
Day-to-day life in medical centers will be completely transformed by digitalization in coming years. German hospitals are at the forefront of the digital transformation, the healthcare market in Germany is booming and foreign investors are flocking.
October, 2019
If a question arises, the surgeon can call a colleague or specialist (who has the surgeon’s field of vision on their screen) to confer and assist with diagnosis.
© apoQlar GmbH
Digital Health Trends
of German managers are convinced that AI will fundamentally change Germany’s healthcare system*
the value of the digital healthmarket by 2020, from electronic records to intelligent instruments**
the compound annual growth rate in revenue of German medical technology companies up to 2028***
amount hospitals could save through increased efficiency via digitalization*****
of German doctors see digitalization as a big opportunity for the healthcare system and hospitals in general****
Sources
* PwC; ** Roland Berger; *** “Gesundheit 4.0” Spectaris industry association; **** Bitkom; *****McKinsey
»We can hardly wait for the new generation of Holo Lens. It will open up even better ways to perform virtual surgery.«
Sirko Pelzl, apoQlar CEO
Two surgeons wearing Microsoft HoloLens glasses perform telesurgery assisted by VSI (Visual Surgery Intelligence). Using mixed/augmented reality, naturally rendered 3D images are uploaded to improve orientation and precision.
© apoQlar GmbH
Source: McKinsey & Company
Trendsetting in Essen
Essen’s Universitätsklinikum is a state-of-the-art German hospital that aims to become a model of digitalization – indeed, digitalization is at the very core of its corporate goals. The hospital is currently piloting smart algorithms that perform routine work in radiology: checking images from CT scans and evaluating screenings for signs of cancer. The algorithm is a form of artificial intelligence that is fed with data and is constantly learning. The more data, the better the results. The hit rates in this pilot phase are high: metastases in cervical cancer can be detected at an early stage with 95 to 97 percent accuracy.
In the biobank at Essen University Hospital, up to 1.2m samples are stored fully automatically and cooled at minus 80 degrees Celsius. Here medical assistant Alexandra Heidemann sends the samples to to be refrigerated.
© Stefan Finger/laif
»With every surgical intervention, you have to balance risk versus benefit. Artificial intelligence helps us make more accurate predictions.«
Andreas Bollmann, senior rhythmologist at the Leipzig Heart Institute and CEO of Leipzig Heart Digital
Photo: © Christian Hüller
Further personal data such as age, sex and medical conditions is also preserved. In this way, an ever-expanding digital memory is being created to help researchers at the hospital and other institutions.
Less travel for cardiac outpatients
Cardiac patients will be big beneficiaries of the smart hospital. The frequency of their heartbeats and the general condition of their cardiovascular system can be recorded by tiny sensors inserted underneath their skin, thereby significantly reducing the number of hospital visits needed.
The sensor automatically passes on the data via a small transmitter in the patient’s home to hospitals and doctor’s offices. This information is then evaluated by patients’ physicians who can consult with cardiologists to determine the best treatment.
Healthcare fairs
BIO-Europe, November 11–13, Hamburg
Europe’s largest partnering conference for the global biotech industry turns 25 this year. BIO-Europe 2019 expects 4,300 attendees from 60 countries and 2,300 participating companies. GTAI is giving a tour of key biotech innovation clusters in Germany before the event (November 6–10).
GTAI tour info https://bit.ly/2YClxFx
BIO-Europe info https://bit.ly/2YwZe4V
Medica, November 18–21, Düsseldorf
MEDICA is a must for leading healthcare companies. International visitors are invited to discuss business opportunities with GTAI at Hall 15 Booth L30.
www.gtai.com/medica
Source: McKinsey & Company
Natural rendering is a visualization method that makes magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) look more natural and realistic. Slices and renders are colored and given depth to generate an easily recognisable, photo-realistic image of even the finest tissue structures.
© apoQlar GmbH
Revolutionizing preventive care
If Bollmann’s team’s findings make it to market, they could revolutionize prediction and preventive care. The method developed during the Hackathon might lead to personalized risk forecasting. “Before a procedure, we inform patients about their risk,” Bollmann explains. “To evaluate the risk, we use average values. However, the risk of a somewhat healthy 50-year-old is different from that of an 80-year-old with severe comorbidities.” Using special software, physicians could enter data such as age, gender and previous illnesses and then calculate the individual risk of the patient.
This is just one of many examples of how digitalization will likely improve healthcare outcomes and patient satisfaction in the hospital environment. It may be some time before systems like the one developed by Bollmann and his Hackathon colleagues are implemented, but the future is already within sight.
Contact & More Information
Dr. Marcus Schmidt
GTAI Industry expert for healthcare
E-Mail
Julia Pietsch
GTAI Industry expert for healthcare
E-Mail
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