Advantages of Wireless Networks in a Hospital

One of the very good utilities of the hospitals network is the availability of the wireless access on the ward level, this will insure instant connectivity to the hospitals network from the small mobile devices such as laptops or other Wi-Fi based medical devices such as the new cardiograph devices which shares data with the database servers through wireless connection. These wireless devices depending on the diagram specifications are in 5 gigahertz frequency which are not compatible with every laptop computer, a recommendation to replace them with 2.4 gigahertz frequency devices are more efficient in order to allow laptops to access the network. A special attention is needed in the security of these wireless access points by connecting them to a server like RAS server to authenticate the personnel accessing the network wirelessly before allowing the devices to use the network. This is very important practice to prevent a destructive intrusion into the network.

In the hectic and harried environment of a hospital, a nurse or technician does not have to search for an available workstation when they can pull up an individual chart on their tablet. Medical personnel can expect to access medical records more frequently and faster than traditional paper and folder charting models. “Location no longer creates a barricade to patient data. Role-based roaming and printing means better access to records from multiple locations. Many different devices, such as tablets and mobile phones, are supported.” 3

The purpose of this paper is to discuss how technology has impacted the health care delivery system. Health care technology is advancing at an increasingly rapid rate in the United States, and globally. Patients and providers are witnessing these changes through the use of telehealth, and telemedicine applications. Telehealth, and telemedicine are often used interchangeably, however there is a difference between the two applications. Telehealth is the use of technology to deliver health care, health information, or health education at a distance (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.).

In week’s three individual dissection of Patton-Fuller Community Hospital Networking Department, I will discuss three topics that will help with a better understanding of the Hospital’s Networking Department. During the first topic, a complete analysis will be completed on the network systems in use. While covering the second topic, discussion on what standards may be missing from the Hospital’s current network. During last topic, I will identify the Hospital’s wireless technology in currently in use and how it may enhance the hospitals network.

This reading discusses the use of wireless alerts pagers in a Surgical Intensive Care Unit and how it affects both work practices and information flows through a qualitative study. From the research that exists, we can see that pagers are successful communication tools because of the mobility and immediacy they provide. Interviews were completed with physicians and pharmacist who used the pagers and nurses who did not use the pager about how it impacted their work. In addition to collecting data this way, the researchers also compiled observational data from watching the device be used in regular practice. The study noted that

As consumers utilize smartphones, tablets, and other devices for other functions like social media and email, they are starting to look at these features to assist them with their healthcare. Mobile body area network devices will be a growing trend in the coming years as a way to get patients engaged in their healthcare and also to give providers routine updates on the status of patients with chronic conditions. As DeGaspari (2014) indicates, these devices can lead to improved functionality for other devices used in hospitals, such as sensors for monitoring patients that might get up and wander or be a fall risk. Telemedicine will continue to grow as payers, providers, and patients all start to realize the mutual benefits that can be

Call lights are the lifeline to receiving care throughout inpatient hospital settings. Technology is built within the call light tool for patients to communicate from the press of a button on the remote. Nurses and certified nursing assistants answer the call light from a phone device that is sent from the call light. Locally, Bellin Hospital in Green Bay, call light is designed with a red cross to send a call to the patient’s certified nursing assistant. If the certified nursing assistant doesn’t acknowledge the call then the nurse receives the call. Additionally, Bellin’s call light system has tv options, nurse request and toilet request. Call lights signal through noise, outside patient room light, nursing stations and nursing staff.

Basis interoperability refers to the standard data sharing (Blazona & Koncar, 2007). This standard includes clinical observation, laboratory, pharmacy, medical devices, imaging and insurance transactions. It also provides the exchange, management and integration of data that support patient care and care management, as well as the delivery and evaluation of healthcare services. Advanced interoperability consists of the uniform presentation of healthcare data, uniform user controls, and uniform protection of patient confidentiality. While developing the health port, the HL 7 standard package used was Clinical Document Architecture (CDA). This wireless system will help the nurses and other clinicians to communicate through text messages and pager alerts (Blazona & Koncar, 2007). By customizing the quality and type of message they receive, it is helpful for the nurses to avoid the unwanted alerts and messages through the new system. This wireless system enables the nurse’s greater mobility and thereby increasing their efficiency to take care of their patients.

Telehealth is the use of electronic information to support long distance clinical health care, patient education, and public health administration. Telehealth involves video conferences, internet, streaming media, and wireless communication to deliver health related services. It encompasses the preventative, promotive, and curative aspects of health care. This system exchanges health related data and other information between the patient and the health care professional to help with the diagnosis and management of conditions. It allows for conferencing between health care professionals and patients in “real time”, remote patient monitoring (such as the blood pressure monitor feeding results through the system), electronic consultation, transmission of medical data, health advice in emergency cases, and long distance patient education. Telehealth is great for monitoring a client in between doctor appointments in order to assess their progression. This benefits the clients because it reduces the need for hospitalizations and visits to the emergency room, while improving their quality of life.

Today’s healthcare organizations have changed, mirroring or leading the changes seen in their enterprise counterparts. Organizations have become widely distributed, and most don’t have a dedicated IT staff. At the same time, most clinics or distributed sites require connectivity to hospital resources/applications, and reliable, high speed wireless networks to function. The mobile nature of caregivers and the growing use of networked imaging and video in patient care settings make an affordable, easy to manage network mission critical.

Nursing of the future builds on old technology and new innovations to continue to grow towards a common goal. Nurses are just starting to see some of the changes happening in their workplace. Laptop computers on wheels aka (Cows) have been implemented to make the recording of patient data happen at the bedside. Larry Flynn and Dave Barista (2005) reported that “Wireless networks allow nurses to continue the care to the patient and not the chart. This is where nursing informatics plays a key role in hospital based technology and implementation of such technologies.

The delivery of health care has always been influenced by technological developments and innovations. This is particularly true in modern health care professionals where they are obsessed with technology and rush to apply them. One of the most recent applications of ICT – Information and computer technology- is telehealth. Telehealth is the use of communication, diagnostic and information technology to provide health care when patients and providers are geographically separated [2], Technologies include videoconferencing, the internet, store -and-forward imaging, streaming media, terrestrial and wireless communications. Telehealth could be as simple as two health professionals discussing a case over the telephone or as

Finally, every floor has its own satellite pharmacy, dialysis storage, respiratory therapy workrooms, and resident doctor sleep rooms, making every floor nearly self-sufficient. The latest wireless technology has been installed so that the hospital is paperless, that is, it uses advanced communication technologies that provide both medical professionals and patient’s better access to relevant medical records and research data. Clinical staff has access to electronic patient charts at every bedside. Patients and visitors have wireless Internet access throughout the building. And, wireless digital technology makes it possible to boast a film-less imaging environment. At

There are several forms of technology that is used to monitor, assist patients with self-care management, assist physicians with delivering care to their patients, including consultation with specialist, and overcoming barriers with transportation. “60% of the healthcare executives, physicians, and nurses in this inaugural survey said that telemedicine was a high priority for 2015“ (Vockley, 2015, para. 7) Telemedicine

Secondly, it is made the work easily and flexibly which doctors do not need to stay all the time in front of the office due to they can be answered the inquiries by the internet, which takes less time to do it ( Benefits of.net 2011). Next, it is helped the sick people especially who are stayed in hospital to contact with nurses and doctors by using unified communication, which mean allow to hospitals to do one big safe network contain more kinds of communication such as, computers, internet, voice and video (Dr. Sands, D 2008). Then, hospitals use a specific website which allow to sick people to know if they work or not and find all information about the hospital such as, what is the hospital for. Finally, a lot of people use the communication technology to organise their lives such as, some application to add suggestions for their diet (CSC-Star.net 2011).