University Clinical Hospital Białystok

Uniwersytecki Szpital Kliniczny w Białymstoku (USK) is an academic, tertiary-care hospital in Białystok that serves as a key clinical base for the Medical University of Białystok, combining specialist treatment with teaching and research. In practice, this academic role translates into a strong emphasis on structured clinical standards, multidisciplinary decision-making, and the adoption of new techniques that can be taught, supervised, and replicated safely across teams. A prominent clinical flagship is the hospital’s Uniwersyteckie Centrum Onkologii (University Oncology Center), which is organized around comprehensive gynecologic oncology pathways. USK’s innovation strategy is especially evident in robot-assisted surgery and in how it implements new capabilities through training and external supervision. The doctors perform da Vinci procedures, including robotic prostate cancer surgery and robotic operations for endometrial cancer, performed within a proctored model and tied to formal certification for independent practice. USK’s leadership also framed robotics as particularly appropriate for a university hospital environment because it supports skill development for future clinicians and provides immediate patient benefit. In neurosurgery, USK has described a complementary innovation track focused on image-guided, robot-supported targeting systems rather than telemanipulation. The new robotic platforms were deployed for the neurosurgical operating environment, including an intraoperative CT solution and a robotic surgical navigation platform, intended to increase precision in brain and spine procedures and to strengthen intraoperative decision-making through updated imaging and navigation. The hospital’s focus on safety and accuracy: technology is used to plan trajectories and stabilize execution, with the clinical team retaining complete operative control. Orthopedics provides another example of technology adoption designed to improve reproducibility in high-stakes procedures. USK’s orthopedic service has implemented the ROSA Knee System as a support tool for joint-replacement workflows, highlighting its role in mapping and alignment accuracy and its potential to expand into additional arthroplasty applications over time. Importantly, these innovation programs are not presented as isolated “new gadgets,” but as part of a broader modernization pathway tied to national investment programs. USK is a beneficiary of KPO-funded oncology modernization, which, per the regional government announcement, includes advanced diagnostic platforms (CT, scintigraphic diagnostics, endoscopy, ultrasound), a surgical robot component, oncology pharmacy upgrades via a cytostatics preparation station, and modernization in gynecology and gynecologic oncology infrastructure. In parallel, the region also announced a longer-term expansion and modernization program that includes the creation of a University Center of Personalized Oncology alongside the modernization of existing hospital buildings. As an academic provider, USK also operates within a research and clinical-trials ecosystem. The hospital publishes institutional rules and administrative guidance for signing and managing clinical-trial agreements, indicating a standardized governance approach rather than ad hoc, study-by-study handling. This is reinforced by the university’s clinical research infrastructure and support units that are designed to facilitate clinical studies across partner hospitals, including dedicated space and logistics for trial operations. University Clinical Hospital Białystok places significant focus on service quality and patient experience measurement through routine patient satisfaction surveys and feedback collection, with the aim of driving continuous improvement.