Navigating the Challenges of Hospital Digitalization in Southeast Asia: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The rapid advancement of digital technologies has transformed healthcare globally, offering opportunities to improve the efficiency, quality, and accessibility of health services. In hospital settings, digitalization involves the adoption of tools such as electronic health records (EHRs), telemedicine, artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and healthcare management software. These technologies have the potential to optimize workflows, enhance patient care, reduce operational costs, and support data-driven decision-making. However, the transition from traditional operations to digital systems poses significant challenges, particularly in regions like Southeast Asia, where healthcare infrastructure and policies vary widely between countries. This systematic review aims to explore the challenges of hospital digitalization, particularly in Southeast Asia, focusing on barriers that hinder the adoption, implementation, and integration of digital technologies in hospital settings. As healthcare systems transition towards digitalization, identifying and addressing challenges becomes critical to optimizing hospital operation, improved patient outcomes, and sustainable healthcare delivery. This review seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of the factors impeding digital transformation, including technological, infrastructural, financial, and human resource limitations. The findings will contribute to identifying strategies and policy recommendations to facilitate the smooth transition to digital healthcare. This study followed PRISMA guidelines to ensure systematic and transparent reporting. Articles were retrieved from ProQuest, Semantic Scholar, and PubMed databases, focusing on peer-reviewed literature published in English between 2019 and 2024. Six articles which met the inclusion criteria were analysed, and the findings were categorised to identify common themes. Five themes identified related to the challenges include: (1) System and data organization, (2) Patients as beneficiaries, (3) Human resources, (4) Exposure to digital tools, and (5) Facility environment. Understanding the specific barriers to digitalization is crucial for developing targeted interventions and strategies and helping policymakers, healthcare administrators, and managers to develop practical solutions for sustainable digital transformation in healthcare.