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The rise and future of smart health clinics and hospitals
Technology is a staple of the modern world.
From smartphones to smart wallets, almost every aspect of day-to-day life can be made more tech-savvy, bringing convenience and connection to everyday tasks. This is true in the healthcare industry, too, where smart clinics and hospitals are changing the way we treat patients.
From the meteoric rise of smart healthcare to looking at what’s in store for Femtech, dive into the exciting world of smart hospitals in this article.
What Are Smart Health Clinics and Hospitals?
Smart health clinics and hospitals integrate a wide range of technology to improve their services. This can come in the form of the Internet of Things (IoT), in which a range of devices and software are connected to work together as a larger digital system powered by smart building connectivity.
Usually, the tech chosen revolves around boosting efficiency, patient satisfaction, and operations management.
For instance, a hospital might use electronic health records (EHRs) to digitise patient records. This allows authorised staff members to quickly access patient history before an appointment and gives patients remote access to their medical data.
In the Femtech space, a smart fertility clinic might use tracking apps that automatically sync with individual patient profiles, allowing for personalised treatment plans and constant health monitoring.
Rapid Rise of Smart Healthcare
Demand for accessible, patient-focused care is increasing, leading to the rapid market growth of smart healthcare solutions.
Currently worth around $197 billion globally, the industry is expected to grow at an annual rate of 6.88%, reaching a total worth of $258.25 billion by 2029. This highlights the lucrative nature of the industry and how significant investment is expected to continue.
In a round-up of The World’s Best Smart Hospitals, 350 were selected from 28 countries. While these aren’t the only smart hospitals out there (there aren’t any clear-cut figures on that right now), it is a pretty good indicator of just how widespread these tech-first clinics and hospitals are.
So, why such a sudden demand for smart healthcare? There are a number of reasons, including increasing access to healthcare at home, improving patient outcomes, and reducing costs for hospitals, clinics, and patients.
How Are Smart Clinics and Hospitals Changing Healthcare?
The more smart clinics and smart hospitals we have, the more people can access tech-led healthcare. Simple!
In terms of the change this will bring, what can we expect? To learn more, we’ve dug a little deeper into the benefits of smart healthcare centers that are contributing to their rapid rise.
Connecting Hospitals and Clinics
A prominent advantage of smart clinics and hospitals is that communication can be enabled between different centers.
If, for example, a patient needs emergency care while on holiday, the hospital could access their patient data from another hospital via a centralised system. They’ll have access to allergies, existing health conditions, and medication the patient is currently taking, ensuring the next steps taken are right for the individual.
This streamlined communication can also connect different departments within a single smart hospital or clinic.
When moving a patient to a new ward, for example, the healthcare professionals can quickly access the medical data they need without a lot of back-and-forth between doctors and nurses, improving efficiency and reducing the time taken to complete an internal transfer.
Improve Healthcare Accessibility and Autonomy
Smart health clinics and hospitals aren’t only focused on inpatient treatments. With a fleet of tech at their disposal, they can help patients continue monitoring and treating healthcare issues from the comfort of their own home.
This is something we’re no stranger to at Femtech World, where the likes of menstrual cycle tracking and postpartum wearables have helped millions of women take control of their health away from hospitals.
In the wider healthcare industry, smart hospitals and clinics are using this tech to improve healthcare access and autonomy by utilising:
- Remote appointments: Smart hospitals can host remote appointments on secure video-call platforms (also known as telemedicine). This is particularly useful for patients with mobility issues or who live in remote places.
- Remote patient monitoring: When necessary, healthcare professionals at smart clinics and hospitals can hand out wearable devices to patients. These track conditions at home and while on the go, providing a more comprehensive picture of their health and alerting patients to issues that may require medical attention.
- Healthcare apps: From tracking medication to booking appointments, healthcare apps make it far easier for patients to take their health into their own hands. Smart hospitals can utilise apps to improve access to key services, like prescription ordering, as well as recommend reputable apps to patients that enhance health autonomy.
Data-led Decision Making
A key concept in smart hospitals and clinics is the use of data to derive valuable insights. By using smart tech, hospitals can monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) like bed turnover rate, staff-to-patient ratio, and equipment utilisation.
They can then use this data to guide operational decisions, ensuring next steps are based on the unique experiences of their specific smart hospital.
For example, if there’s room in the budget to buy new equipment, data on equipment utilisation could identify the most frequently used tools or those that are often already in use when another member of staff needs them.
Reduce Repetitive Tasks
Smart hospitals and clinics can invest in software and hardware to reduce repetitive tasks.
For example, in appointments, professionals can use transcribing tools to create transcripts of the conversations with their patients. This is far simpler than taking notes and provides a more comprehensive overview of the patient’s concerns and the advice given.
The patient receives the healthcare professional’s full attention, and the professional has a complete transcript to refer back to when assessing treatment options.
The Future of Health and Care
The future of health and care will undoubtedly be shaped by technology and smart infrastructure.
In terms of developments, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) will be central to future innovations. They can be used to:
- Diagnose conditions based on personal medical history, images, and current symptoms.
- Derive valuable insights from smart hospital data.
- Personalise treatment plans based on individual patient data.
- Detect anomalies in diagnosis, treatment, and admin to reduce errors.
- Improve cybersecurity with advanced threat detection.
As AI and ML develop, it’s likely that their place in smart healthcare will too.
When looking at the future of smart hospitals and Femtech, technology may help reduce the gender health gap. By implementing Femtech, like ovulation tracking and new approaches to treating breast cancer, hospitals can improve treatments specifically geared towards women and prove a commitment to female healthcare.
AI and Femtech can be used cohesively, too. For example, professionals can use AI to analyse female-focused medical studies and create clear, actionable insights that guide Femtech investments.
Final Thoughts
With smart health clinics and hospitals on the rise, it’s an exciting time to be involved in the Femtech world! We’ve touched the surface of how technology can be used to improve healthcare for patients and professionals alike, but there’s a lot more to explore.
Ready to learn more? Take a look at the latest news on Femtech World.
Women with ADHD are nearly twice as likely to experience perimenopause symptoms compared with women without ADHD, new research has revealed.
The study reported 54 per cent of women with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder had perimenopausal symptoms, compared with 30 per cent without the condition.
Among perimenopausal women with ADHD, 59 per cent reported psychological symptoms such as anxiety, low mood, irritability and fatigue.
Physical symptoms, including hot flushes, headaches or palpitations (a rapid or irregular heartbeat), occurred in 30 per cent with ADHD versus 14 per cent without.
Published in 2025, the research also found symptoms tended to start earlier for women with ADHD, peaking around ages 35 to 39, while those without ADHD reported their most severe symptoms around age 45.
The study suggests two explanations for the increased burden among women with ADHD.
Firstly, anxiety and lower socio-economic status are known risk factors for perimenopausal symptoms; both are more common among women with ADHD and chronic stress may amplify risk.
Secondly, oestrogen helps modulate ADHD symptoms.
Women with ADHD are at higher risk of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and other cycle-related issues because ADHD symptoms can intensify when oestrogen levels fall.
During perimenopause, oestrogen naturally declines, so women with ADHD may experience both typical perimenopausal symptoms and a worsening of ADHD symptoms at the same time.
The research also found a higher prevalence of lifetime post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among women with ADHD.
When this factor was accounted for, women with ADHD who did not have PTSD still faced increased risks, though both risk and symptom intensity were reduced.
These findings suggest that interventions which reduce chronic stress and inflammatory responses could help women with ADHD navigate perimenopause more effectively.
Stanford graduates’ startup Clair is building a wearable hormone tracker for women, offering continuous, non-invasive monitoring.
The company, Clair, founded by Jenny Duan and Abhinav Agarwal, aims to build what its founders describe as a research-led, privacy-focused tool to help women see how hormone levels affect daily life.
Duan and Agarwal met in spring 2025 and began working on Clair shortly after. Over the past six months, they have been developing the technology and refining the company’s mission.
The device is designed to address gaps in women’s healthcare. Women remain underrepresented in medical research and clinical trials, leading to limited data and slower progress in understanding women’s health conditions.
According to Clair advisor and Stanford Medicine professor Brindha Bavan, hormone tracking in reproductive healthcare “improves our understanding of the function of and communication between the brain’s pituitary gland and ovaries or testes.
The pituitary gland is a small organ at the base of the brain that produces hormones regulating many bodily functions. The ovaries and testes are the primary reproductive organs that also produce sex hormones.
Hormonal health affects not only fertility and reproduction but also mental health, metabolism, energy levels and overall wellbeing.
Bavan said hormone tracking can “provide insight into menstrual cycle patterns and can aid with both diagnosing and assessing treatment for [various] conditions.”
“[Clair enables] patients [to] gain insight into their personal hormone fluctuations over different time periods,” Bavan said, “and share this information at healthcare visits to better understand and correlate any medical issues they are facing and avoid repeat blood draws.”
The device, which resembles a bracelet worn on the wrist, will connect to a mobile app, allowing all data processing to occur directly on the user’s phone rather than in external data centres.
“The device connects with an app so all of the processing happens on the app itself, not in a data centre like other devices. This is especially important given the current political climate around data privacy,” Agarwal said.
Clair also plans to pursue FDA approval and position itself as a medically credible device rather than solely a lifestyle product. The company is planning to launch a clinical trial at Stanford Medicine this spring.
Duan’s interest in women’s health and technology began as a Stanford undergraduate. At TreeHacks in 2024, she built apps focused on endometriosis, a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows outside of it.
She said a course on Philanthropy for Sustainable Development was particularly influential. “It was this class that sparked my interest in building a solution in [the women’s healthcare] space,” Duan said.
WUKA has announced a groundbreaking partnership with the Royal Yachting Association (RYA), including RYA Scotland and RYA Northern Ireland, supporting women and girls in sailing.
Building on WUKA’s growing #TackleAnything campaign – which has already reached thousands of girls across sports in the UK – this collaboration brings practical period solutions into sailing.
Together, WUKA and the RYA are committed to breaking down barriers so periods never limit confidence, participation, or performance on the water.
Ruby Raut, WUKA founder & CEO, said: “Partnering with the RYA has been incredibly important for us at WUKA.
“Sailing is an amazing way for women and girls to build confidence, and periods shouldn’t hold anyone back from enjoying the water or reaching their full potential.
“Through this partnership and our #TackleAnything campaign, we’re proud to provide practical solutions and innovative products that help female sailors feel comfortable, confident, and free to focus on learning, performing, and having fun.
“Breaking down barriers and supporting women to tackle anything — on land, at sea, and everywhere in between – has never felt more meaningful.”
WUKA, which stands for Wake-Up Kick Ass, shares the RYA’s commitment to inclusivity and empowerment.
In 2023, WUKA launched #TackleAnything, a campaign supporting women, girls and sportspeople with periods. Since its launch, the initiative has reached 3,576 girls across 46 clubs and partnered with a range of sports across the UK – from Scottish Gymnastics to Titans wheelchair basketball – helping young athletes play without limits and stay confident, comfortable, and in the game.
The brand offers period-friendly aquatic apparel and practical solutions that help women train and compete with freedom of movement and total assurance.
Through this partnership, WUKA will provide innovative period swimwear for young sailors across key RYA programmes, including the NI Sailing Team, the RYA Scotland Performance Pathway Programme, and the British Sailing Pathways Talent Academies.
By combining WUKA’s mission to challenge stigma with the RYA’s commitment to inclusion, the partnership ensures young sailors can focus on what matters most – learning, performing, and enjoying their time on the water – with confidence and comfort. RYA members will also receive a 10 per cent discount on WUKA products.
Sailing offers incredible benefits for women and girls, but time on the water can present unique challenges -particularly during menstruation.
Together, WUKA and the RYA are providing practical solutions that remove these barriers, helping young sailors participate fully and confidently in the sport.
Sara Sutcliffe, RYA CEO, said: “At the RYA, we have been making strides to break down barriers for women of all ages to help ensure they can experience the water in a supportive and positive environment.
“From education workshops and practical sessions, we want to make sure our female sailors are empowered and this partnership is another great example of how we can demonstrate possible tools to equip them to succeed”.
This partnership is part of the RYA’s wider commitment to making sailing a sport where women and girls can thrive. Alongside initiatives such as the Female Futures Group, the Women’s Race Officials Programme and all new Talent Academy Female Future’s Camps; it demonstrates a continued focus on removing barriers and creating meaningful opportunities across every stage of the sailing.
WUKA’s involvement ensures that practical solutions are available on the water, from innovative period swimwear to support resources, helping young sailors feel fully equipped and confident during training and competition.
By integrating these tools into RYA programmes, WUKA brings a new level of comfort and assurance to female athletes, allowing them to focus entirely on performance, enjoyment, and growth in the sport.
For any women and girls looking to learn more about sailing, visit www.rya.org.uk.
For more information on WUKA visit www.wuka.co.uk.
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