Could virtual hospitals replace hospital visits?
Show notes
What if your next hospital appointment happened from your kitchen table?
In Part 2 of Transform Gov, Professor Derek O'Keeffe explains how Ireland is using digital technology to rethink healthcare delivery — from remote islands to nursing homes, prisons and beyond.
You'll hear how:
*Patients can be monitored safely at home.
*Chronic diseases can be managed before emergencies happen.
*Virtual hospitals are reducing unnecessary admissions.
*AI and robotics could become everyday healthcare tools.
This isn't science fiction.
It's already happening.
Transform Gov is part of the Ireland eGovernment Awards and is brought to you in partnership with Accenture.
Find out more about the Ireland eGovernment Leadership Summit and Awards at:
www.digitalgovawards.com
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Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:33 Why chronic disease is changing healthcare
04:49 Why hospitals aren't designed for chronic illness
07:24 The idea behind the virtual hospital
09:44 Monitoring patients at home
10:58 Virtual wards explained
15:20 The island healthcare project
17:06 Why islands became the perfect test bed
18:37 A patient, a ferry and lambing season
20:06 Scaling the project across Ireland
21:41 Nursing homes, prisons and remote care
24:23 International interest from Australia
25:21 AI, robotics and the future of healthcare
27:48 Why innovation requires resilience
29:02 Final thoughts
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All episodes of Transform Gov – the digital government podcast