Enhancing patient admission efficiency through a hybrid cloud framework for medical record sharing

The fragmentation of patient data across multiple healthcare institutions presents a significant challenge to realizing timely and effective treatment. Although electronic medical records have replaced traditional paper records, they often remain isolated within individual hospital information systems, limiting data exchange and preventing physicians from accessing complete medical histories during patient admission. These restrictions hinder the efficiency of diagnosis and treatment, particularly in critical care settings, such as emergency departments. Cloud computing provides a promising solution by enabling controlled electronic medical record sharing, thereby improving the continuity and quality of care. This study presents a system-level, multi-layered hybrid cloud architecture framework designed to facilitate seamless and managed exchange of electronic medical records among healthcare organizations. To further enhance operational efficiency, the system integrates fingerprint authentication based on hashed identifiers for rapid patient identification and an Internet of Things bracelet for real-time monitoring of vital signs. System performance was evaluated using discrete-event simulation implemented in the OMNeT++ framework, with simulation parameters informed by real emergency department data from three hospitals in Saudi Arabia. The evaluation considers multiple workflow scenarios and incorporates repeated simulation runs to assess performance stability. The simulation results indicate consistent reductions in average patient waiting times, while treatment durations remain stable and patient throughput increases. These findings highlight the potential of the proposed framework to enhance electronic medical record management, streamline clinical workflows, and improve operational efficiency in time-critical environments.