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Israel’s Sheba Hospital Among Those Leading the Way in Technological Advancements
Edited by: Fern Sidman
The COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented test of resilience for healthcare systems worldwide. Hospitals, in particular, faced immense challenges, from surges in patients to disrupted supply chains. Amid these difficulties, the pandemic underscored the crucial role of advanced technology in healthcare, as was reported by Newsweek. Hospitals that had already embraced technology and data-driven approaches emerged as the most resilient. This lesson from the pandemic is reshaping the healthcare landscape, with a renewed focus on telehealth, real-time data utilization, and the integration of cutting-edge technologies.
The pandemic acted as a catalyst for a trend that had been brewing for years. Healthcare markets globally have been witnessing the transformative power of information technology and smart tools in hospitals. Newsweek reported that this transition is not only about improving patient care but also about addressing the challenges of an aging population, increasing patient expectations, and the urgency to contain soaring healthcare costs. The market for smart-hospital technology reflects this trend, with projections indicating it will reach $83 billion by 2026, up from $35 billion in 2021.
At the forefront of this technological transformation is telehealth. The pandemic demonstrated the immense value of providing remote services, patient monitoring, and communication with healthcare professionals. Telehealth not only reduces costs but also enables early detection of health issues, reduces infection risks, and offers patients greater comfort and convenience. Moreover, Newsweek reported that telehealth can facilitate rehabilitation at home, allowing patients to leave the hospital sooner. Dr. Eyal Zimlichman, Chief Innovation Officer at Sheba Medical Center in Israel, highlights how telehealth can contribute to shrinking costly physical facilities while improving and expanding care.
Sheba Medical Center, affiliated with Tel Aviv University, includes centers for nearly all medical divisions and specialties and serves over one million patients per year.
In 2021, Newsweek magazine ranked Sheba Medical Center amongst the world’s top hospitals for the second year running.
The ranking came at a time “when the hospital is advancing medical innovation on all fronts including dealing with the coronavirus crisis using ground-breaking telemedicine solutions to treat coronavirus patients who are quarantined at a special hospital complex,” a statement by the Sheba Medical Center read.
Newsweek wrote that Sheba Medical Center is a leader in medical science and biotechnical innovation, both in the Middle East and worldwide. The center’s collaborations with international parties have advanced innovative medical practices, hospital systems, and biotechnology.
Professor Yitshak Kreiss, Director General of Sheba Medical Center stated at the time that the hospital is “especially proud to be on the Newsweek list for the fourth consecutive time, with the achievement denoting “another year of innovative medical achievements which are impacting the world.”
“I am especially proud of our 9100 medical professionals who wake up each morning and come to work dedicating themselves to thinking outside the box, creating new ways to giving patients the best care and dealing with crisis like the coronavirus by employing game changing technologies such as telemedicine,” Professor Kreiss said, adding that at Sheba staff used the phrase “Hope has no boundaries. And this is what motivates us.”
In 2018, it was reported that the Sheba Medical Center had submitted its permit application to build a new 2,000 square meter, three floor, diagnostic and research center for nuclear medicine and molecular imaging. Nuclear medicine can be used for the diagnosis and treatment of a range of diseases including heart disease, cancers, strokes and Alzheimer’s.
The entire basement floor (almost 1,000 square meters) will be dedicated to housing a cyclotron, a nuclear reactor, which will produce small quantities of nuclear isotopes for use in molecular imaging. These nuclear isotopes are used for safe and pain free 2- and 3-dimensional imaging techniques, which can detect cellular changes within the human body. The detection of these cellular changes will allow medical professionals to offer a personalized approach to diagnosis and therapy through earlier diagnosis and assessment of treatment efficacy.
The dedicated cyclotron, located at Tel Hashomer, will allow Sheba to expand its clinical and research work through on-site production of nuclear isotopes which are too short-lived to be transported from the existing Israeli facility.
These advancements represent a shift toward more efficient, patient-centered, and data-driven healthcare delivery, ensuring that every patient receives the best possible care. Israel’s Sheba Hospital is leading the way, and their impact will continue to shape the future of healthcare for years to come.
