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Smart Hospital: Integrated Framework, Tools and Solutions (SHIFT)

Blueprint for digitalisation in the healthcare sector

The hospital of the future will be different from the one we know today. Through the consistent use of new forms of organisation, digital technologies and the networking of processes and data, the hospital will be continuously transformed into an intelligent system: the smart & liquid hospital. People are at the centre of this system even more than they are today - the needs and experiences of patients, their relatives and staff are central.

Five research partners (ZHAW, USB, UNIBAS, UZH, FHNW) and 24 practice partners are working together under the leadership of the ZHAW Digital Health Lab as part of the Innosuisse-funded flagship project. The host institution is the Winterthur Institute of Health Economics. The 5.7 million Swiss franc project was launched on 1 January 2022 and is expected to be completed in summer 2025 with a duration of 3.5 years.

The projects

Why?

It is not only the recent pandemic that has revealed the need for digital transformation in Switzerland’s health care system. A variety of technology solutions face disparate data silos, lack of accountability and inefficient organisations. In addition, as digitization enters the hospital, the associated challenges and requirements for its use in everyday clinical practice are also increasing noticeably.

How?

To meet these challenges in the future, sustainable and smart solutions are needed to harmonise people, technology and the administration process. The SHIFT project lives up to this claim by demonstrating new possibilities for «digitalisation» in everyday hospital life in a needs-oriented and integral way.

What?

With the help of three overarching pillars and eleven interlinked sub-projects, solutions are being developed that are “smart” because they use artificial intelligence (for example) and “liquid” because they use sensor technology to offer barrier-free care for patients beyond the confines of the hospital. Our knowledge database offers solutions to typical challenges encountered by hospitals throughout the process of digital transformation.

The pillars of the “SHIFT” flagship

Based on three structural pillars, the flagship demonstrates how digital transformation can be implemented in the hospital. The first pillar, “Seamless Patient Path”, aims to use new technologies to enable seamless, “liquid” treatment and improve the quality of care. The 2nd pillar, “Patient & Staff Empowerment”, examines how intelligent solutions must be designed to increase staff competence while empowering patients in decision-making processes. The 3rd pillar, “Management of Hospital Systems”, refers to the individual processes of the “smart hospital” and identifies new ways in which clinical as well as supporting processes can be made more effective and efficient.

Stay informed about our SHIFT progress

News

01/13/2025

We will go live at the beginning of 2025!

News

01/13/2025

With the conclusion of our flagship project SHIFT - Smart Hospital: Integrated Framework, Tools and Solutions in June, we would like to point out once…

News

11/08/2024

TechFoundation (A.1), Hospital in Motion (B.2) and AI-supported software development (C.3) in focus: progress and prospects for the smart hospital

News

07/05/2024

Focus on Pillar D - networked management for smart hospitals

News

07/04/2024

Shaping the future with SHIFT - developing long-term strategies to safeguard SHIFT results.

News

06/03/2024

This serves as a central source of knowledge and inspiration for all professionals and service providers in the healthcare sector - especially for…

News

03/22/2024

Where do we stand after approx. 2 years of operation and how should we proceed?

News

02/25/2024

Effects of the MepV on AI and ML solutions: Requirements and recommendations for Swiss hospitals.

News

01/29/2024

Innosuisse is informed about the interim status of the SHIFT flagship and is satisfied with the progress of the project!

News

11/22/2023

Focus on Pillar C - New technologies for better self-management and increased efficiency.

News

09/13/2023

Requirements for an iPaaS: Secure integration and management of healthcare data in the cloud for Swiss hospitals.

News

07/17/2023

Our transformation masterplan is being developed together with two leading Swiss CTIOs.

Our practice and university partners

Our practice partner

Our university partners

Associated partners of SHIFT