Use cases for AI-driven automation are mounting, with health care continuing to provide fertile ground. One opportunity for healthcare organizations to replace manual processes is in the inventory area, where AI, computer vision and workflow automation could optimize operations in supply rooms, according to recent research.
Stamford, Conn.-based consultancy Gartner said advances in those technologies increasingly enable hospital supply rooms to monitor inventory, anticipate demand and initiate replenishment with limited human involvement.
“Hospitals have spent years buying technology that helps employees count supplies, but employees are still doing the counting,” said Bruce Gilmore, vice president and analyst in Gartner’s Supply Chain practice. “AI and computer vision create an opportunity to remove that work, rather than make it incrementally faster. This can enable nurses to spend more time with patients, rather than searching for missing items in stockrooms.”
In an autonomous supply room, cameras continuously track available supplies while AI analyzes consumption and expected demand and either recommends or initiates replenishment. Voice instructions, illuminated bins and electronic shelf labels can help clinicians locate supplies.
Gartner says the approach could help health systems address labor shortages, supply chain staffing constraints, excess inventory and stockouts.