Over the past 18 months, Nidwalden Hospital has invested around 2 million Swiss francs in digitalization. According to information from the hospital, 100 kilometers of network cabling and 6 kilometers of new fiber optic cables have been laid, while a total of 3,500 new network plugs have been installed and 200 new access points created.
“In future, hospitals, doctors and patients will be increasingly networked with each other, and this will change the requirements for the hospital IT network infrastructure”, explains Head of IT Gabriel Kälin in the press release, before adding: “It is a simple truth that rapid internet access and efficient networking with all stakeholders are necessary standards in the digital age”.
Nidwalden Hospital is a subsidiary of the LUKS Group, one of Switzerland’s largest hospital groups that is wholly owned by the canton of Lucerne. The LUKS Group is aiming to develop a joint, safe and digital approach to support patients along their entire therapy path. “With the strategy of coordinated and digitally networked care, we are setting new standards in healthcare”, comments hospital director Urs Baumberger.
According to the information from the hospital, the next steps are planned for 2024, at which point Nidwalden Hospital will be integrated into what is “probably the world's best hospital information system”: Epic. This system ensures that referrers are also given direct and secure access to patient files in the hospital. In addition, patients are granted global access to their data via a personal app, among other aspects.
