5G is expanding and so are 5G services. It is not much surprising that healthcare has turned out to be fruitful for 5G use cases as they perform 5G speed tests with 5G network testing equipment and tools, RF drive test tools and monetise from it. Communication Service Providers (CSPs) have shifted their attention slightly towards B2B unlike B2C previously to seek new opportunities where healthcare has a significant potential to lead them towards growth in the tears to come. The top-notch speed in dedicated slices with 5G technology and almost zero latency required for live monitoring of patients, remote surgeries and telemedicine are enhancing the healthcare ecosystem. According to a report by Ericsson published recently, the 5G can allow operators to transform the healthcare sector worth 76 billion USD by 2026.
Connectivity has been playing a prime role in imparting excellent healthcare services to patients in need, in these modern times and situations like COVID-19. About 86% of the healthcare decision-makers believe CSPs to be the enablers of their system integration with service and app development – additional to their roles as network providers. Let us have a look at some of the use cases that can present the best opportunities for CSPs.
- Quicktransmission of large MRI scans/imaging files
Generally, MRIs and other machinery generate large files which are often sent to specialists for detailed examination. A low bandwidth network will take a long time to transmit files or may not be sent successfully sometimes. For instance, the PET scanner at the Austin Cancer Center produces large files which are around 1 GB of files per patient for study. As a result, patient waiting time is longer for treatment with less number of seeing patients in that particular period. Healthcare organisations are looking for maximising network speed to transmit files faster than ever with no failed transmissions in between the path. Adding an ultra-high-speed 5G network after conducting 5G speed tests to their current architecture can assist quick and reliable transport of huge imagery files, fasten examination and improve access and quality of patient care.
- Expediting patient care with Telemedicine
Market Research Future predicts the telemedicine market to grow at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 16.5% from 2017 to 2023. This increase in the predicted rate is due to the demand for healthcare services in rural areas and government initiatives. Telemedicine is highly dependent on the network to support real-time high-definition quality video to communicate with patients and understand their needs. 5G network can handle online appointments and enable a platform for patients to get proper advice from doctors/care professionals without travelling far from rural areas to towns/cities to visit a doctor. Thus, patients get treatment sooner and collaborate with them more efficiently without any hassle of standing in queues and waiting for hours.
- AR, VR and spatial computing are improving care treatments
Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) applications, spatial computing have already been deployed in operating rooms and classrooms. For example, a surgeon can wear a headset to view the overlay of spinal data on the top of the actual spine of the patient. Therefore, it improves the doctor’s ability to provide innovative and less invasive care treatments with reduced time of recovery for patients. Simulation of complex medical situations is one of the most potential applications in which 5G has an exciting role to pave the way for such innovations with its low-latency capability and enable alternative treatments for critically ill patients.
AT&T staff is working hard in this field to assist healthcare companies to cope up with medical challenges as they deploy 5G to enhance patient care. AT&T joined hands with VITAS Healthcare to examine the effects of 5G-enabled AR/VR on engaging with patients. The objective of this partnership is to curb anxiety and pain for patients who are in hospitals and ill, by providing calming and soothing, distracting audio/video content through 5G AR and VR applications.
- Monitor patients in real-time
5G’s low latency and high-capacity power can enable healthcare providers to monitor patients and accumulate data from 5G-enabled IoT devices in real-time. A kind of remote monitoring service, wearables are also expected to reduce hospital costs by 16% in the upcoming five years. Remote monitoring technology requires high-speed data connections like 5G to send real-time patient data to doctors so that they can make quick healthcare decisions and advice to ill patients. Operators are working on delivering outstanding 5G speed with network test assessments done by RF drive test tools. They are measuring performance and optimising the network before commercialising it to serve critical medical requirements.
Conclusion
With the increase in the number of innovative 5G use cases, healthcare officials across the sector are placing mobile network operators at the top of the lists to make partnerships. Operators can take this advantage to develop new technologies through 5G networks to bring innovations in the world of care by improving quality of care, giving patients a better experience, reducing costs, etc.