Evaluating the Readiness of Nigerian Health Institutions for the Integration of Hospital Digital Twins for Predictive Facility Management

Abstract

The increasing demand for efficient and proactive facility management in healthcare has driven global interest in advanced digital technologies such as hospital digital twins virtual, real-time replicas of physical hospital systems used for predictive maintenance and operational optimization. However, the readiness of Nigerian health institutions to adopt such technologies remains unclear. This study evaluated the technological, infrastructural, and organizational preparedness of selected Nigerian hospitals for digital-twin integration. A descriptive survey design was adopted, involving 436 healthcare professionals, facility managers, biomedical engineers, ICT personnel, and administrative staff across hospitals in Enugu, Lagos, and Abuja. Data were collected using a validated and reliable electronic questionnaire (Cronbach alpha: 0.82 and 0.85). Descriptive statistics answered the research questions, while one-sample t-tests determined readiness against a benchmark mean of 2.50. Findings revealed low technological and infrastructural readiness, with a grand mean of 2.39, significantly below the readiness threshold (t = –4.87, p < 0.001). Hospitals lacked adequate IoT-enabled devices, stable internet, power reliability, digital maintenance systems, and system interoperability core requirements for digital-twin deployment. Although digital competence showed relative strength (grand mean = 2.49), key organizational dimensions such as management commitment, change readiness, and budgetary allocation remained insufficient, with no significant evidence of exceeding the readiness benchmark (t = –1.13, p = 0.128). The study concludes that Nigerian health institutions are not yet equipped technologically or organizationally to implement hospital digital twins for predictive facility management, despite moderate staff digital literacy and collaborative potential. To enhance readiness, strengthened ICT infrastructure, increased funding, improved power stability, strategic leadership commitment, expanded IoT deployment, and continuous staff capacity building are essential. These findings provide a foundation for policy formulation, investment planning, and future digital transformation initiatives in Nigeria’s healthcare system.