5G gives a new meaning to ‘speedy recovery’ in healthcare facilities. Communication across departments is faster with this technology. It enables health facilities and patients to meet each other halfway by using virtual monitoring tools. Patients do not have to make a trip to the doctor’s office every appointment date. Digital healthcare is the next move toward providing reliable healthcare and prolonging quality life expectancy.
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Digital healthcare advantages to hospitals
5G is a fifth generation, better, and faster wireless transmission network. There are many benefits the healthcare sector can get from accessing and using the network.
Reliable connection
The network is characterized by highly reliable connection, which facilitates clear communication between the patient and the doctor or between doctors in different locations. High quality images and videos enable the doctor to offer accurate diagnosis remotely. 5G has high bandwidth, which enables HD video streaming. The large imaging capabilities is favorable for x-rays and MRIs to operate wirelessly in the near future.
It also facilitates robot surgery tools which are more efficient in speed, accuracy, and ability to be close to the area being operated on. Surgeons can perform telesurgery without being in the room themselves. It therefore encourages the input of specialists with more experiences to be part of such procedures.
Seamless communication
Doctors communicate with each other or with paramedics while at different stations. An example is a critical patient being brought in by an ambulance. Doctors at the hospital and paramedics in the ambulance can communicate easily to improve the state of the patient before arrival to the facility. This improves the chances of survival of patients under critical situations. They can share HD videos or use vital monitoring tools to relay this information to the doctors at the hospital.
Understanding the condition of the patient before their arrival allows the doctors to prepare for their treatment way earlier. Doctors can guide paramedics to perform urgent or necessary procedures on their way to the hospital or instead of going all the way to the hospital. Signals can be transferred from screens and monitors from doctor to doctor or from the paramedics to the doctors. Quick communication is essential because sometimes it is one decision which takes the patient away from possible death.
The same technology is helpful for training hospitals. Sharp and clear video streaming can assist learners to follow more surgeries and procedures than they would do physically.
Free flow of data
All departments or sections in a hospital work in unity to accomplish one goal of treating patients. The information about these patients has to pass from one area to the next. The fast download speeds offered by this network promotes the collaborative nature of the hospital environment in offering treatment. It accelerates loading of image data. These can be pictures, MRIs and x-rays. It accelerates the speed of sending files and documents between departments.
Easier record keeping
Traditional patients’ record keeping is a tiresome process involving a lot of paperwork, files, and storage space. With 5G, record keeping can be cloud based. It is less tedious to retrieve records and even quicker to send the files to the surgeon, doctor, or specialist. The records can be sent to other specialists in another location to contribute to the diagnosis and treatment process. This provides a more elaborate and effective treatment plan. It offers a secure, orderly database for storing all information about patients.
Digital healthcare advantages to patients
Patients receive care at the comfort of their home through remote monitoring via digital healthcare. Caregivers can check on them, ensure they take medication as prescribed, which accelerates the healing process and they notice deterioration as early as possible.
High connectivity
5G reduces connectivity issues between doctors and patients. It also improves the quality of healthcare services doctors deliver. The network is 99.99% reliable. It has a higher bandwidth than previous networks. Different units and devices can work well with the network at the same time.
Virtual consultations and appointments
With HD videos, virtual consultations will feel more like a physical meeting. Clear audio, and video facilitate this. The network has high transmission speed of 10Gbps dt transfer rate and very low delay in the transmission process. The Strong connectivity eliminates delays in the conversation. Barriers preventing patients from getting to hospitals including disability, high costs, sickness, can be overcome with this technology. Patients can access treatment and consultation virtually.
Online prescription management
Sometimes patients forget to follow prescriptions strictly. Some patients find it difficult to include this in their daily routine because of old age or mental illnesses. Good connectivity enables doctors or pharmacists to check in minutes before the actual time the patient should medicate and remind them. This promotes quick recovery.
Virtual and Augmented Reality for special needs patients
5G enabled headsets are useful tools (and one use case) to help visually impaired patients to perform tasks such as crossing roads, opening a door, and getting information online by reading content. The strong connectivity of the network enables the patient to use the headsets in real time as need arises. More therapies and treatments will be effective for the patients as well. These include physical therapy sessions. With 5G it will be easier to include use of robotics in limb training and exercises for healing.
Non-invasive methods of monitoring patients.
Doctors can use signals recorded by fit bits, heart monitors, skin patches, Bluetooth scales, glucose monitors, and so on using 5G technology. The patient gets to go about their lives without stressing too much because they will be contacted if anything is a miss. It helps to prevent escalation of health conditions since thy are caught at early stages.
When monitoring is possible away from hospitals, it is more affordable for patients. Aside from preventing diseases the wearables and electronic health devices help to monitor patients with chronic illnesses without them having to make weekly or monthly physical visitations. Patients find this way manageable than keeping track of appointment dates.
Uncomplicated registration process
The new technology is meant to improve the wanting factors in most hospitals. Patients do not have to spend so many minutes in the hospital registering before treatment. They can do this at the comfort of their home. The technology allows a huge amount of data storage and easy retrieval when needed. The patient’s information is easily shared to the specialist. The data can be shared within and outside the hospital to other specialists in a fast and reliable manner.
Less crowded hospitals and patient autonomy
Patients will be more involved in their treatment process form the beginning, from the registration. They will keep their reminders of the consultation dates and time. They can contact the doctors easily in case they have any questions or if there are changes in their wellbeing. The treatment will be more suited for an individual. Doctors can give timely feedback and monitor vitals. The reliable connectivity and fast loading of videos an, audio, and pictures is helpful in this case.
When patients cannot get to hospital the doctor can provide e-prescriptions through video conferencing, email, phone call, and organize delivery of medicine to the patient’s home. All this contribute to improving the quality of treatment, health, and life of people. It also reduces hospital congestion.
Conclusion
Improving the e-healthcare sector and digital healthcare means part of training of medics and paramedical professionals will involve how to use technology in the administration of treatment. The network involves using electronic devices to share information and data in different forms. They will learn how to retrieve patient information, save treatment plans, and patient history. Contact us to set-up respective processes.
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