Digital Health Standards Show Gains in Hospitals, Finds ISB Study
Staff training and behavioural change were the biggest challenge, according to the study, cited by 84.6 per cent of hospitals, while 65.4 per cent identified workflow and process redesign as a major effort. Hospitals also had to work on integrating systems, cybersecurity and infrastructure.
Hyderabad: Hospitals that adopted the digital health standards of the NABH’s (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers) reported better documentation, smoother operations and stronger digital systems, according to a study by the Max Institute of Healthcare Management at the Indian School of Business (ISB).
The study assessed 20 hospitals of different sizes and from metro and non-metro locations, and looked at what changed after they completed digital health certification. Hospitals rated the overall value of the standards 4.62 out of five, with data privacy and documentation quality scoring 4.56 each and operational efficiency 4.38.
For patients, some of the changes were fairly straightforward. Hospitals reported improvements in discharge and reporting processes, while digital records made information easier to access across departments. One hospital reported a reduction in revenue leakage from 33 per cent to 7 per cent, although the study noted this was an individual hospital experience rather than a finding that could be applied across all hospitals.
Sandeep Rath, lead author and assistant professor of operations management at ISB, said the gains included “better documentation, shorter discharge and waiting times, and less revenue leakage.” He said the standards helped make the rapid digitisation of healthcare more systematic.
Staff training and behavioural change were the biggest challenge, according to the study, cited by 84.6 per cent of hospitals, while 65.4 per cent identified workflow and process redesign as a major effort. Hospitals also had to work on integrating systems, cybersecurity and infrastructure.
The burden was particularly significant for small and speciality hospitals, which often have fewer resources and greater dependence on external technology vendors. The study also found that clinical areas were harder to digitise consistently than administrative functions because they depend heavily on staff behaviour and happen in time-sensitive settings.
The researchers said digital health standards worked best when hospitals could adopt them according to their existing capabilities. “DHS works best when it meets hospitals where they start, not as a uniform bar for diverse facilities,” the study observed. The study also cautioned that its findings largely reflected the experiences of early-adopting hospitals and rely substantially on self-reported outcomes rather than independent audits.
