The analysis of healthcare data, through the use of Artificial Intelligence, has become a great tool to help Hospital Engineering, transforming data into useful knowledge to improve healthcare processes.
In this article we want to address the binomial Hospital Engineering and data analysis. Their mutual collaboration is changing the healthcare sector forever.
Hospital Engineering and data analysis are vital in the healthcare sector. Especially in the context of an ageing population, technological advances and the increasing complexity of healthcare systems.
In this sense, hospital engineering involves the application of technical and scientific knowledge to the design, planning, construction, maintenance and management of hospitals and health centres.
This is a sector that is growing, changing and renewing itself by leaps and bounds.
For this reason, Hospital Engineering is at a crucial moment, facing new challenges and taking advantage of technology to improve the efficiency and quality of healthcare.
One of the keys to its evolution lies in using data analytics as a catapult to make better decisions.
The situation of hospital engineering in Spain
Hospital Engineering in Spain is undergoing a process of change due to the need to adapt to the new challenges of the healthcare sector.
In recent years, the complexity of healthcare systems has increased significantly, and this is expected to increase in the future.
A process that has generated a greater demand for professionals with skills in the management and maintenance of medical equipment and information systems, as well as in the planning and design of healthcare centres.
Moreover, as the AEIH points out, there is a shortage of professionals in this field.
In this context, hospital engineering has evolved into a more integrated and multidisciplinary discipline, involving professionals from different fields such as engineering, architecture, IT and healthcare management.
Moreover, there is greater collaboration between industry and the entire healthcare sector, which is leading to greater innovation and the application of advanced technologies in healthcare.
And one of the most important areas in recent times, already closely linked to this discipline, is data.
The link between Hospital Engineering and health data analytics
By health data analytics we mean the use of techniques and tools to analyse and extract knowledge from health data.
Data analysis aims to improve the quality of healthcare, reduce costs and improve efficiency. In this respect, Hospital Engineering already plays an important role in the application of healthcare data analytics.
“Hospital Engineering can contribute to the collection and storage of healthcare data, as well as its integration into hospital information systems. “
In addition, it can assist in the design and implementation of specific tools for the healthcare sector, such as resource utilisation analysis, capacity planning and quality management.
And yet, according to different estimates, within the global technology industry, the amount of structured data does not exceed 21%, and the healthcare sector is far from being an exception, although this is changing dramatically with data networks.
Improving decision making
The aim is to refine decision making, which is now data-driven and substantially improves the quality of healthcare.
Within this association of disciplines, Hospital Engineering can contribute to improving decision-making in healthcare centres, based on health data, through the application of data analysis and visualisation techniques.
These techniques, for example, can help identify patterns and trends in data, enabling healthcare professionals to make more informed and effective decisions.
At the same time, hospital engineering can play a vital role in the application of predictive models and artificial intelligence in healthcare decision-making.
These models can play a key role in predicting future health events and identifying risk factors, enabling healthcare professionals to take preventative measures and improve the efficiency and quality of healthcare.
In short, big data analytics implies a profound transformation in healthcare, and Hospital Engineering is involved in its development.
Among other possibilities, it has the potential to
- reduce costs
- predict epidemic outbreaks
- prevent disease
- improve the quality of care, hospitalisation and the work of healthcare workers
- optimise hospital administration.
A partnership with a great future
A perfect example of the advantages of this pairing can be found at the Hospital Virgen Macarena.
Its technical engineer and the neurophysiologist Ana Isabel Barroso, from the Puerta del Mar University Hospital, demonstrated that collaboration between the hospital’s technical units and specialist doctors is possible, with hospital engineering and electromedicine becoming increasingly necessary.
Thus, in the field of hospital engineering, in order to improve decision-making based on health data, we need to continue to make progress in the development of tools and techniques for data analysis and visualisation, and in the application of predictive models and artificial intelligence.
It is also essential to promote training and collaboration among professionals. In this way, it will be possible to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the pairing of hospital engineering and data analysis.