Research Progress and Development Trends in Smart Hospital Operations Management under Digital Transformation

Abstract

Digital transformation is changing hospital management from fragmented information processing toward integrated, data-driven, and increasingly intelligent operations. Smart hospitals combine electronic health records (EHRs), interoperable data platforms, artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), cloud computing, automation, real-time dashboards, and emerging digital twin technologies to support clinical services and organizational management. This narrative review synthesizes recent research on the progress, management value, implementation barriers, and development trends of smart hospital operations. Current applications are concentrated in patient flow and bed management, operating-room scheduling, workforce and equipment allocation, medication and supply-chain management, quality and safety monitoring, and administrative automation. Evidence suggests that digital technologies can improve information visibility, forecasting, coordination, and process standardization; however, technology deployment alone does not guarantee better outcomes. Benefits depend heavily on interoperability, data quality, workflow redesign, organizational leadership, user acceptance, cybersecurity, governance, and continuous performance evaluation. In particular, poorly designed EHR workflows may increase documentation burden, while AI systems introduce risks related to bias, transparency, accountability, and lifecycle monitoring. Future smart hospitals are likely to evolve toward integrated command platforms, multimodal AI, ambient intelligence, predictive and prescriptive analytics, and digital twins capable of simulating operational scenarios before real-world implementation. From a medical management perspective, the central task is therefore to shift from technology-centered construction to value-oriented digital governance. Hospitals should align digital investment with measurable operational objectives, establish multidisciplinary governance mechanisms, and evaluate efficiency, quality, safety, workforce experience, equity, and return on investment simultaneously.