Guest Editorial Special Issue on Automation Science and Engineering for Smart and Interconnected Healthcare Delivery Systems

Abstract

There has been growing interest in healthcare delivery systems worldwide coupled with a recent influx of funding into the area. Due to rapid development in information and network technology, smartness and interconnectivity have become a central issue in healthcare delivery. Automation is important for healthcare delivery systems engineering. In recent years, the significant changes in healthcare delivery and the rapid development in data analytics, artificial intelligence, robotics, and wearable devices have generated numerous opportunities for innovation in automation for smart and interconnected healthcare delivery systems. In addition, many new challenges have emerged in order to apply and implement these innovations. Such opportunities and challenges have significantly expanded the scopes of traditional automation science and engineering. Therefore, to show the state-of-the-art research and applications in the general area of healthcare delivery systems automation and to address the needs and challenges for the integration of new automation technologies in healthcare delivery, this Special Issue serves as a forum to bring together researchers, clinicians, and healthcare practitioners to present efficient scientific and engineering solutions and to provide visions for future research and development.