Emerging technologies, architectural planning and hospitals of the future: the impact of Healthcare 4.0 on hospitals in Brazil

This study aimed to identify the emerging technologies that most impact hospital architectural planning, the hospital sectors most impacted, and the outlook for the hospitals of the future, based on the perceptions of healthcare professionals, architects, and engineers working in the hospital sector in Brazil. An online survey was conducted with 66 participants from different regions; the data were processed using content analysis. The most frequently cited technologies were telehealth, robotics, artificial intelligence, environmental sensors, and augmented/virtual reality. The sectors identified as most impacted were the surgical and obstetric center, diagnostic support, and intensive care unit. For the hospital of the future, trends emerged toward greater patient-centricity, humanization, integrated technologies, dehospitalization, and space optimization, aiming for efficiency, safety, and personalized care. It is concluded that the adoption of these technologies demands physical and organizational reconfigurations and, despite conceptual and infrastructure challenges, the opportunities in terms of care quality and efficiency are promising.