Healthcare providers are quite used to employing wireless technology in the day-to-day care of patients and the monitoring and transfer of information. Wireless technology is growing rapidly, driven by the younger generation of healthcare workers who don’t remember a world without technology. In connected hospitals, connecting medical devices to Electronic Health Records has reduced the time it takes to enter patient vital signs from almost 10 minutes to less than 1 minute per patient. Real-Time Locations Systems (RTLS) allow staff to find available equipment and bring it where it is needed to treat patients quickly. Advanced bed and fall monitors can monitor patient movements and alert staff as soon as there is an issue. All of these technologies depend on the underlying robustness of the wireless connection. Embracing a fully connected environment can make outcomes better, mundane tasks faster, and communication more efficient. The key to making it all work is reliability.
There is a desire for new digital tools to provide better information, which can be shared with patients and colleagues, but if the communications infrastructure can’t support and maintain a reliable signal, many healthcare professionals get frustrated fall back on familiar and traditional ways of providing healthcare, adding to the digital divide.
The solution – making sure the network is reliable – is not a difficult one; and often it is not a costly one. First you should have your wired network evaluated. A comprehensive review of the wired network will allow you to plan, update the design as needed and scope and phase any enhancements needed. Your structured cabling is critical to your business and should be evaluated regularly – approximately every five to seven years.
Next you need to ensure that your cell signal gets where it needs to go. Older buildings and the newest LEED certified ones can both have issues with signal coverage. A cellular bi-directional amplifier (BDA) can easily fix this issue. BDAs have relatively small components, are easily installed cost-effective. They redirect the cell signal to where it needs to be, making sure all the cellular devices can interact efficiently with one another.
In connected hospitals caregivers can focus on providing the best quality of care to their patients, rather than administrative tasks. Once healthcare workers feel confident in the reliability of the network it will not be difficult to get them to rely upon it. Using the wireless network to record patient information and collaborate with colleagues is faster and easier than relying on the old ways – and in the incredibly busy and intense setting of healthcare finding reliable and more efficient solutions is always the goal.
If your wired network needs a check-up, give us a call.
