With most population forecast predicting the world’s population to cross 8 billion by 2025 and the current stretching of Healthcare budgets, hospital administrators need to implement models of healthcare delivery which provide higher value for money, are scalable, secure and most importantly efficient. Hospitals are seeing a technological evolution, where the hospitals are seeing the increasing adoption of connected medical devices in the hospital environment and the increasing adoption of technology and software as part of the healthcare delivery process. The vision of a SMART or CONNECTED hospital is where wireless technology allows

• patients to roam freely across the hospital while providing timely and accurate monitoring
• while enabling caregivers access to powerful wireless medical equipment to provide the best quality care to patients, instead of being distracted by time-consuming administrative tasks, improved information to boost the decision-making process, improve workflows and enhance treatment outcomes
• and lastly, increase the utilization of hospital assets while increasing the efficiency of the healthcare process flow and improving patient satisfaction.

This paper aims to address the demand for a SMART hospital, the needs of current hospitals, and describe the smart hospital vision and the challenges faced in implementing this vision.