As my team and I prepare for the HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition next week, this year’s theme – Reimagine Health – especially resonates with me, because that’s exactly what AT&T 5G is helping healthcare providers do.
5G technology is fundamentally changing patient care in hospitals and medical centers. From telemonitoring that can help prevent falls to performing remote robotic brain surgery, 5G is helping bring “smart” hospitals – ones that use technology to make life better for patients and staff — from concept to reality.
The 5G-powered smart hospital
5G powers the use of smart technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), to help improve patient care, streamline workflows, and automate processes. These technologies interconnect to enable hospitals to gather, interpret and respond to the data they collect. In short, they create a building with eyes and ears – a smart hospital.
Take the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine for example. The 80,000 square-foot smart medical center has smart technologies integrated throughout to create a truly connected, immersive and collaborative environment for patients and researchers. The Institute knew when it set out to design the state-of-the-art smart facility it would need a state-of-the-art network to power it. An on-site, private, AT&T 5G network with multi-access edge computing (MEC) was the answer. The fast data speeds, low latency and high capacity provided by the 5G network, combined with cutting-edge technologies, is helping the Institute reimagine the connectivity within healthcare and enhance the patient experience within the clinic. For instance:
- Wearable sensors enable the Institute to track how much interaction is taking place between patients and staff. This data in turn can help the Institute improve the care process and patient experience.
- The smart facility is capable of providing anticipatory, personalized, high-touch patient care, like knowing what type of music to play and lighting to use during a patient’s appointment.
- The dedicated bandwidth of the private 5G network makes it possible for the Institute to connect more devices wirelessly – from IoT equipment and sensors to handheld devices – without quality concerns. It also enables the transference of huge data files, such as 3D tumor imagery.
- The private, on-site 5G network means the Institute is able to capture and analyze data faster and more securely and make decisions on the spot.
With data at the core of everything the Ellison Institute does, 5G technology is enabling staff to employ that data in meaningful ways that benefit science and patients.
5G-enabled smart healthcare
link