Analysis of Association between Digital Transformation and Management of Quality and Safety in Public Hospitals

Han Xiao; Liu Xinyi; Yu Songxuan; Hou Lengchen; Li Guohong

Abstract：Objective To explore the relationship between the digital transformation of public hospitals and hospital quality and safety management,providing evidence for hospital digital transformation development and policy formulation.Methods Hospital management data from Shanghai municipal hospitals were collected,and a questionnaire was used to assess the current state of digital transformation.A panel regression of time-fixed effects analysis was performed to examine the correlation between various digital transformation variables and quality and safety performance in 8 Shanghai municipal hospitals from January 2023 to May 2024.Results Hospital digital system construction,digital service level,digital investment and digital research are significantly positively correlated with patient safety and service efficiency,and negatively correlated with the incidence of negative safety events in readmissions,venous thromboembolism and unplanned reoperation.The level of digital services was associated with a reduction in average length of stay.Increased digital investment was associated with not only decreased proportion of medication costs,but also an increase in the proportion of consumable costs,other categories of expenditures,and finally average costs.Conclusion While digital transformation improves hospital quality and safety,it also leads to an increased disease burden for patients.Therefore,further evidence is needed to analyze the cost-effectiveness of different digital transformation pathways.