April/May/June 2020 I 55
FIGURE 2: Wireless and monitoring systems allow medical
professionals to ensure the best safety for patients.
Not to be outdone, Google Assistant has released
a voice-driven app in partnership with Mayo Clinic.
Advice on how to treat conditions like fevers, cuts,
insect bites is given by Mayo First Aid. It also gives
information on responding in emergency situations,
for example, if a user needs to perform CPR.
“Expanding the delivery of Mayo Clinic content through
more voice channels helps give consumers ready access
to trusted health information where and when they need
it,” Sandhya Pruthi, MD, associate medical director
of Mayo Clinic Global Business Solutions said in
a news release. “We're pleased to continue innovating
with voice and exploring its value to enhance patient
and consumer engagement.”
2: It is How Medical Professionals Ensure Safety
Safety can mean many things in a hospital or healthcare
facility setting as it relates to wireless. First responders,
such as EMTs, firefighters, and police officers rely on reliable
wireless coverage for their devices, both outside and
inside buildings. Healthcare facilities need to ensure the
safety of patients and staff in the event of a fire, flood,
natural disaster, active shooter or other threat. A public
safety DAS system provides coverage for first responder
radios inside the confines of building structures, including
newly created FirstNet, a public-private partnership
between the federal government and AT&T.
Additionally, safety can mean hospital or
healthcare staff being able to monitor and
manage patients who might be at risk for
wandering off or for the special care of infants.
Some applications use a newborn identification tag
that is connected via Wi-Fi or another wireless network.
Safety can mean monitoring not only live human bodies
but also high-value assets like drugs and medical equipment
(Figure 2).
Safety can also mean pointing people in the right
direction and helping patients and visitors navigate large
hospital campuses. Wayfinding refers to the way that
people navigate spaces and paths to move around, and
with wireless connectivity this can encompass location-
based services, geo-location integrated with smart signage
and intelligent lighting that can literally light up a path
based on real-time personnel location data. More about
wayfinding can be found in ANSI/BICSI 007, Information
Communication Technology Design and Implementation
Practices for Intelligent Buildings and Premises.
3: It is How Medical Professionals
Provide Patient Care
There are an incredibly large number of ways that wireless
networks support and impact patient care; the influence
of the connected smartphone in health care cannot
be overstated. In its annual Global Innovation Index, the
UN World Intellectual Property Organization identified
the number one global trend that will have a significant
impact on healthcare:
The spread of broadband access and smartphone usage
around the world facilitates near-instantaneous sharing of
data between patients and providers, enabling remote treatment
and expanding clinical databases for use in research
and development of new treatments.