The research forecasts that the US and China will grow to account for over 60% of global smart hospital spending by 2026. It predicts that these countries' pre-existing smart hospital services, allied with the formulation of favourable reimbursement structures, will provide an ideal basis for further smart hospital roll-outs. However, it cautioned that the need for pre-existing digital infrastructure, such as electronic health records, will limit smart hospital roll-outs to developed regions. As a result, it anticipates that Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East will represent less than 5% of global smart hospital spending by 2026. Juniper Research's report outlined how a current lack of interoperability between devices and platforms has resulted in a high degree of fragmentation that will require regulatory intervention on a country-level basis. Research author Adam Wears explained: "Vendor lock-in and high investment requirements are the most prevalent issues for healthcare providers in adopting smart hospital services.