We've found a pulse: Data lifeblood courses through rejuvenated healthcare
Digital transformation has never been more critical in the healthcare sector than in its response to COVID-19. Amid operational challenges that will likely remain in 2020 and beyond, the industry has been building on digital capabilities in the following areas.
Reliable and low-latency connectivity at the mobile edge for tech-augmented care
Mandatory physical distancing is increasing demand for trusted and reliable virtual care, remote diagnostics, telemedicine, and home health solutions as well as digitalisation of medical services. This trend implies that wired and wireless infrastructure, from switches to cabling to software, has become more critical than ever in healthcare. Any network outage or even latency can cause significant challenges in medical service delivery.
At Dezhou People’s Hospital in China, timely upgrades to critical network infrastructure form the basis for mobile healthcare. The hospital’s high-performance and reliable wireless network has enhanced medical consultations with patients and user experiences for doctors and nurses. Access points featuring smart adaptive antennas ensure secure and efficient access to confidential patient data and critical medical systems via mobile and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
Simplified converged infrastructure to foster better insight into patient care and ops
A converged infrastructure that flattens wired and wireless technologies onto a single unified IT cabling standard unlocks operational efficiencies and capabilities.
It paves the way for integration of big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), telemedicine and other patient care services, allowing healthcare providers to make timely informed decisions and understand critical impacts to operations. With reliable connectivity, cloud-based health information tracking systems can be used to easily manage patients’ medical history, physician contacts, medication schedules, and health conditions.
Such efficiencies hold benefits for medical research too. The South Australian Health Medical Research Institute, for example, implemented CommScope’s SYSTIMAX 360 solutions to ensure its researchers have always-on connectivity to critical data systems and applications for their ground-breaking work.
Cloud-managed intelligence to improve patient-first focus via emerging IoT apps
Across the healthcare system — elderly care, and institutions that provide first-contact care, specialist referral services, rehabilitation services and hospice care — IoT devices are augmenting capacity to monitor patients and gather data that can be used to improve overall personalised and preventive care.
Tokyo-based ITO Hospital believes that reliable Wi-Fi is indispensable for seamless nursing care. Secure Wi-Fi connectivity to patient management systems is maintained on nurses’ PDAs even when they move between different ward floors. Hospitals like ITO can further simplify and secure access networks to support emerging IoT applications while improving user experience proactively via an AI-enabled network management as-a-service platform.
Continuity of connectivity and IT security for innovation and automation
Technology is accelerating R&D response to virus outbreaks. In China, the digitalisation of the healthcare system harnesses electronic records, digital prescriptions and other IT infrastructure to systematically track and analyse extensive patient data. This lays the foundation for AI and machine learning to transform the healthcare value chain and boost capabilities in managing scarce resources and improving patient care through automation.
Equally important is protecting the vast amounts of data generated, stored and processed by modern healthcare. Apart from investing in infrastructure that ensures 24x7 connectivity, a hospital in Brazil turned to automated infrastructure management tools to help fulfil demands of automation, innovation, mobility and efficiency.
Ultimately, healthcare organisations must seek expertise in a number of cabling technologies and harness experience in network design to transform for resiliency while addressing present and future digitalisation opportunities.
Originally published here.
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