Reimagining Healthcare Delivery: A comparative analysis of traditional healthcare and AI-enabled smart hospitals

Objective: This study aims to comparatively analyse traditional healthcare and AI-enabled smart hospitals across key dimensions of operational efficiency, clinical outcomes, and accessibility, with a focus on how institutional readiness influences the effectiveness of digital healthcare transformation. Design: The study conducted a comparative narrative review using WHO’s Digital Health Reports from 2019 and 2023. In addition, a total of 23 peer-reviewed articles published between 2016 and 2026 have been synthesised thematically across key dimensions of Operational Efficiency (OE), Resource Optimisation (RO), Clinical Decision Making (CDM), Accessibility (AC), Diagnostic Accuracy (DA), and Healthcare Digital Transformations (HDT), along with the global trends in digital health maturity, infrastructure, and workforce readiness. Results/outcomes: Findings indicated that AI-enabled smart hospitals showed efficiency in DA, OE, and patient management through predictive analytics and automation. Nevertheless, it has been found that these advantages are highly contingent upon institutional preparedness, workforce capacity, and online infrastructure. Traditional healthcare models, on the other hand, are dependent on human interventions, with limited physical capacity and workforce. Conclusion: The study highlighted that healthcare transformation does not solely rely on technological advancement. A hybrid model integrating traditional healthcare with digital innovation is essential to ensure sustainable, equitable, and scalable healthcare delivery.