Background

Classic hospital information technology (IT) systems are being upgraded to new functional levels due to the rapid evolution and introduction into everyday operation emerging solutions based on machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR) and large language models (LLM), including the famous ChatGPT.

Objectives

The objective of the study was identification of potential practical applications of emerging IT solutions to various aspects of identified routine activities of ICTs, including hospital hygiene improvement, antibiotic stewardship adherence and vaccination enforcement and popularisation.

Material and methods

Related merit and legally defined duties of infection control teams (ICTs) at Polish hospitals were examined and compared against the capabilities of emerging IT solutions.

Results

It presents as inevitable that personal universal AI-based virtual assistant of medical staff, melting together modern broadband wireless connection to expanding IT infrastructure and its new emerging solutions, including ML, LLM and already relatively inexpensive AR tools, will revolutionise the everyday practice of hospital epidemiology.

Conclusions

It is foreseeable that in the near future, all hospital IT tools will present a single coherent solution oriented on the common goal of achieving maximal patient health and staff safety, providing holistic, individualised, continuous and omnipresent support to Hospital Infection Control Teams, every other member of the hospital staff, all hospitalised patients, as well as their accompanying persons.