Where digitization works – and where it doesn’t yet!
The healthcare sector and industry function very differently. The needs and requirements of both sectors are correspondingly different when it comes to digitalization. Where is it already working today, where is it not? And where is there still potential for optimization?
We asked Prof. Dr. med. Samy Bouaicha, Head Physician at Balgrist University Hospital, and Oliver Bailer, Head of Integrated Solutions at the Kistler Group, about this.
Samy, where is digitalization already working well in the healthcare sector?
Samy Bouaicha: Digitalization is already working very well, especially for smaller and less demanding tasks. For example, shift changes. Today, an employee can submit a request via a digital form, which I can approve with just a few clicks.
You mention the internal processes. But do patients also benefit from this?
Samy Bouaicha: Definitely. Digitization simplifies paperwork in the hospital and makes collaboration much more efficient. For example, we now scan all patient reports directly. Doctors and other specialists involved in the treatment can then view them at any time and from any workstation.
Are there any other examples of successful digital applications?
Samy Bouaicha: For example, the diagnosis of X-ray images. Compared to the past, this is now done exclusively on screen – without any loss of quality. In my opinion, this is a real success story.
Prof. Dr. med. Samy Bouaicha is a senior physician at Balgrist University Hospital in Zurich and head physician at Männedorf Hospital.
Time-saving planning tool
And what is the consequence of this approach?
Samy Bouaicha: In the worst case, you have different planning tools for operating theatres, consultation hours and other applications. This is cumbersome and costs users unnecessary time. I can see at Balgrist University Hospital that there is another way. There we work with a clinic information system that is very comprehensive.
From healthcare to industry: What is the situation at Kistler, Oliver?
Oliver Bailer: We have to differentiate between two levels – the level of our customers and our own processes within the company. In recent years, Kistler has developed from a pure sensor supplier to an information and solution provider. This means that we support our customers in measurement technology with integrated solutions to ensure their quality and process reliability.
And where is digitalization not yet working?
Samy Bouaicha: When it comes to digitalizing a complex process landscape, the chances of success are much lower. Today, people are trying to digitize processes almost everywhere because it’s fashionable at the moment. However, if you don’t focus on a holistic solution, you end up with a patchwork of systems and tools that are not or only poorly integrated with each other.
What have you had particularly good experiences with?
Oliver Bailer: Our Manufacturing Execution System (MES) stands out here. It helps us to better control our internal processes and thus increase our efficiency.
What are the dangers of digitization projects?
Oliver Bailer: People often spend a disproportionate amount of time operating and maintaining certain tools. It can then happen that you get lost in the wealth of available data and information. You therefore always need a clear strategy as to which KPIs you want to use to manage a company.
Better control of internal processes
What have you had particularly good experiences with?
Oliver Bailer: Our Manufacturing Execution System (MES) stands out here. It helps us to control our internal processes better and thus increase our efficiency.
What are the dangers of digitization projects?
Oliver Bailer: People often spend a disproportionate amount of time operating and maintaining certain tools. It can then happen that you get lost in the wealth of available data and information. You therefore always need a clear strategy as to which KPIs you want to use to manage a company.
Samy, where is there further potential in the healthcare sector?
Samy Bouaicha: In medicine, it very much depends on the specific application. I can imagine that digitalization in the field of radiology or cancer screening will change a lot in the next few years. In orthopaedics, on the other hand, it will take even longer for the use of robots to become part of everyday clinical practice, for example.
Oliver Bailer is Head of Integrated Solutions and a member of the Executive Board at the Kistler Group, an international company specializing in measurement technology and sensors with headquarters in Winterthur.
Are there other applications for the future?
Samy Bouaicha: I see exciting opportunities in the field of augmented or virtual reality. For example, virtual reality glasses are currently being tested in clinical trials. These allow doctors to display all kinds of information during an operation.
And what does it look like in industry?
Oliver Bailer: One focus is the development and maintenance of knowledge management systems in which, for example, test reports, product or application descriptions, but also patents and customer information of a company are stored centrally. If such comprehensive information could be made available in a customizable form both internally and in part to customers, that would be a big step towards genuine knowledge transfer.
And where do you still see potential for the future?
Oliver Bailer: For example, in the area of intelligent search engines around technology and market topics. I find general search engines like Google less and less helpful, as they are hardly objective and contain too much advertising. AI applications such as ChatGPT, on the other hand, raise issues such as source security and confidentiality. That’s why we are currently looking into using an internal, proprietary AI solution.
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