Making Australia’s hospitals safer, smarter and more responsive with dual-layered connectivity
For hospitals across Australia, mobile connectivity is already essential to the lifesaving work they perform every day. Now these institutions are evolving to become even more digital and data driven. By providing clinicians with real-time access to patient records and diagnostic tools, for example, or by connecting all their medical devices and systems together so the data can be processed and analysed through a single platform, they’ll be able to greatly improve decision-making and deliver more responsive care. So, how do they get there? It will require them to go beyond the public mobile networks they currently rely on. It’s about putting in place a multi-layered connectivity framework that includes both a private mobile network (PMN) and distributed antenna system (DAS), each working together to facilitate a modern connected experience for staff, patients and visitors alike.
The current state of connectivity in Australia’s hospitals
Hospitals across the country are using mobile connectivity for more than just phone calls and messages. Many are already well along their digitalisation journeys, using digital records and mobile workstations in a variety of innovative ways. However, these technologies often aren’t being used to their full potential, largely due to the limitations of poor or unreliable Wi-Fi and public mobile connectivity. Hospitals feature a lot of metallic equipment, walls and room partitions that can obstruct the propagation of radio waves, as well as multiple buildings within the same campus area, all of which can result in weak signals when relying solely on public connectivity from macro base stations located off-premises. As a result, their mobile workstations can struggle to maintain an optimal wireless connection. This creates rework and delays, such as patient details having to be entered into a form multiple times due to dropped connections.
There are also many systems that still aren’t digital at all yet. Medical information is often tracked on paper first before being manually entered into a database later. And with clinicians conducting only periodic in-person check-ups, that means patient data isn’t available in real time. A lot of hospitals also continue to rely on outdated paging radio systems for staff alerts and communications, which limits their mobile access to rich patient data and prevents the type of coordination that could be enabled by applications like video calling.
Hospitals know this needs to change. They want fast, reliable connectivity so staff can capture and access data everywhere. They want to enable remote monitoring and real-time tracking of vitals so they can intervene faster if a patient’s condition begins to deteriorate. And they want to put in place applications like virtual consultations that provide more equitable and timely access to medical services, or clinical collaboration tools so specialists in other hospitals can see patients remotely and provide immediate advice.
Bridging the gap between the current and future state requires a new focus on mobile connectivity, starting with a PMN.
How a private mobile network improves hospital operations
At a high level, a PMN is a local area wireless network that connects users and devices within an enterprise campus or facility, like a hospital. While it provides the same basic capabilities as a public mobile network, a PMN is reserved exclusively for the use of a single enterprise. With dedicated equipment like antennas and radios installed on-premises, the network resources aren’t shared with any other users in the area, resulting in better wireless performance. (Check out one of our previous blogs for more on how a PMN works.)
In the case of a hospital, that means more reliable staff voice and video communications over dedicated applications and devices, especially during emergency situations when every second could be the difference between life and death. Clinicians can get instant access to imaging data, electronic medical records and other data so they can make more timely and informed care decisions. A PMN also enables real-time patient monitoring via connected medical devices, continuously collecting and analysing data on heart rate, blood pressure and other vital signs.
A PMN can even make possible more advanced use cases, providing the low-latency connectivity needed to control robotic assistance systems and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). A hospital AMR can automate the pick-up and delivery of meals between kitchens and patient wards, medications and other supplies between pharmacies and surgical theatres, and more. Only a PMN can provide the uninterrupted connectivity AMRs need to safely navigate through lifts, doors and service pathways, including in areas shared with patients and clinicians.
All these applications are examples of critical communications where reliability and security are of the utmost importance to improving patient outcomes. With a PMN, hospitals get much greater control over the network and the data within it when compared to a public mobile network. All the data stays on the hospital’s premises and only hospital staff have access to that network, helping maintain compliance with data privacy laws. Dedicated, licenced spectrum also means wireless signals aren’t subject to interference like they are with Wi-Fi. Plus, a PMN is supported by a specialised network operations team — with less reliance on external network infrastructure beyond the hospital’s control — to help ensure the network always stays online, even when the public network is experiencing an outage.
How a distributed antenna system complements a private mobile network
While a PMN can deliver substantial benefits to a hospital, it’s made even better when paired with a DAS, which strengthens indoor mobile coverage in even the most complex environments.
As mentioned earlier, signals from external macro base stations can struggle to penetrate the metallic equipment and room partitions found through a hospital campus. A DAS overcomes that challenge through a mix of network elements that are installed on-site (such as combiners, cables and splitters) to distribute wireless signals from a centralised source (an in-building mobile base station) to antennas placed in carefully considered positions throughout a building to deliver the best possible indoor coverage. This enables consistently high-quality connectivity across an entire facility, ensuring mobile network signals can reach all corners of a hospital — even areas that are usually weak spots or dead zones, such as basements, stairwells, radiology departments and parking garages.
Another benefit of a properly designed DAS is that it can support both public and private mobile traffic, connecting separate public and private mobile base stations over the same infrastructure. It can then segregate the two types of connectivity to ensure the proper levels of performance and security for the applications and devices running on each. So, with a DAS, visitor waiting areas can be provisioned with public connectivity (so people can use their personal devices) while operating theatres get secure, low-latency connectivity from the PMN to support applications such as high-resolution video for keyhole surgery, neurosurgery and vascular surgery, or even remote surgery assistance from external specialists. A DAS can be designed with these requirements in mind and segregate sectors of the hospital to match those requirements or enable both public and private networks in the same areas as necessary.
A dual-layered connectivity strategy that combines a DAS with a PMN essentially creates two tiers of connectivity: general access for mobile users (both staff and visitors) that keeps traffic away from mission-critical networks, as well as secure, closed-loop connectivity for the most important operational systems and workflows.
Augment your hospital’s operations with BAI
Hospitals around the world are already seeing the benefits these connectivity technologies. In partnership with BAI’s sister company, Boldyn Networks, Oulu University Hospital in Finland has implemented Europe’s first private 5G network in a functioning hospital, connecting state-of-the-art wearable devices and personnel to maximise efficiency among workers and improve patient care.
As Australia’s hospitals further evolve and look to adopt advanced applications like diagnostics powered by artificial intelligence (AI) or remote surgery assistance, they’ll need the robust, expansive connectivity of a PMN and DAS to power these applications safely and securely. Because for Australian healthcare providers, investing in an integrated PMN/DAS infrastructure isn’t just about connectivity. It’s about building a smarter, more responsive healthcare system.
Contact us to learn how our team can help you put in a place a connectivity strategy tailored to your hospital environment.
