Saudi Arabia-based non-profit healthcare organisation King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC) is advancing its Smart Hospital initiative.
The initiative integrates artificial intelligence (AI), simulation, and immersive technologies across various departments.
The advancements have significantly improved workforce training, clinical care, and operational efficiency at KFSHRC.
The Academic & Training Affairs division is leading the initiative by executing advanced tools such as simulation labs, e-learning, and virtual reality (VR) for immersive training.
The technologies enable healthcare professionals to practice complex procedures, from emergency care to surgical planning, enhancing clinical preparedness and patient safety.
The Patient Flow & Capacity Command Centre optimises operational efficiency using AI to predict demand, manage resources, and monitor patient flow in real time.
Since its inception, the Centre has executed over 170,000 interventions, reducing bed wait times from 32 to six hours and cutting emergency delays by 14%.
Last year, the hospital treated over 46,000 new patients and more than 79,000 referrals.
Smart tools, including the Noor robot, enhance patient experiences by providing real-time assistance and improving service access.
AI supports diagnosis, interpretation, early interventions, and personalised care for complex diseases in departments such as genomics, oncology, pathology, and radiology.
KFSHRC’s Centre for Healthcare Intelligence (CHI) has developed over 20 AI applications in medical imaging, clinical decision support, and operations.
In collaboration with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialities, CHI leads national AI training programmes to cultivate digital health talent.
CHI introduced a generative AI platform to synthesise patient data, accelerate diagnostics, and streamline triage at the GAIN Summit 2024.
Earlier this year, KFSHRC completed the world’s first robotic-assisted implantation of an artificial heart pump (HeartMate 3) developed by Abbott.
The surgery was performed on a 35-year-old man who had been hospitalised for 120 days due to advanced heart failure, which had also led to kidney and lung function deterioration.
It was led by Dr. Feras Khaliel, head of cardiac surgery and director of the hospital’s Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery Program.
The advanced surgical procedure, a significant advancement in medical technology and patient care, enabled the patient to return home to his family.
The patient spent only four days in the intensive care unit, a stark contrast to the 26-day average for similar procedures performed with traditional surgical methods.
