edical technologies are improving the lives of patients and making the work of doctors and nurses easier. Cisco Switzerland, with partners such as University Hospital Basel, is looking to the future of these technologies by piloting and innovating novel wearables solutions.
Wristbands and other wearable technologies continue to change the future of patient care and hospital work. Wearables that track vital signs such as heart rate, body temperature, or blood pressure are quickly becoming transformational in health monitoring.
In a hospital setting, wearables optimize operations and reduce the burden on personnel. There is no need to disturb a patient in the middle of the night to take vital signs and measuring of vital signs remains continuous rather than at set points during the day. Data from a wearable is measured, and transmitted via the secure hospital network infrastructure to the appropriate health care team where it is available to be seen and evaluated via the clinical information system. In-person interference by nurses or doctors only occurs if there is a need, allowing for a patient to recover more quickly and for medical personnel to work more efficiently.
To enable these new technologies, the foundation needs to be properly set. The most important aspect is a modern, stable, and secure network infrastructure. Only once the foundation is set, new applications such as patient care with wearables can be properly implemented in a hospital premise. This modern, stable, and secure hospital network infrastructure can then be bridged to external locations and enable new use cases to be covered such as remote care and decentralized clinical trials.
For remote care, including elderly care, wearables can allow for a patient to be released from a hospital setting earlier because of the possibility of remote observation. Multiple studies have shown that patients recover faster at home and at the same time at a lower cost, benefiting patients and healthcare providers. Doctors, nurses, and a health care team can observe patients at home in combination with telemedicine and video conferencing, as long as proper cyber security actions are taken. Wearables can also alert a remote health care team of a dangerous change in vital signs in a patient; for example, data that points to a potential heart attack.
Additionally, wearables and remote options can improve health-related clinical trials, which face the problem of participants dropping out due to the inconvenience of traveling to see the doctor. Studies show that only 7% of patients conclude a clinical trial, which generally is a lengthy multi-year, and costly process. However, remote clinical trials can improve the retention rate of participants due to ease of use with technology like wearables and at the same time speed up the search for drugs and vaccines, as has happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. In combination with proper security and telepresence, there would be no need for volunteers to travel and see a doctor for all check-ups, which would ease the process and incentivize participation.
These possibilities are only made possible by collaboration and team support by all stakeholders involved in the healthcare ecosystem. As part of the Country Digital Acceleration program, Cisco supports the Swiss healthcare system in improving healthcare through multiple aspects of digitalization. In the case of the University Hospital Basel, Cisco financially supports the project with its Country Digital Acceleration Initiative in addition to contributing expertise and network technology. The existing Cisco infrastructure is used to securely connect the wearables for the transfer of data. A connection is automatically established as soon as a registered wristband nears a Cisco access point.
The successful implementation of wearables at the University Hospital Basel demonstrates the power of technology for medical use. Future expansion of wearables and other health technologies relies on the need for a strong, modern, stable, and secure network infrastructure, cybersecurity solutions, and communications solutions such as video conferencing. Cisco delivers all these technologies to support and build these services with a wide range of partners, helping pave way for seminal innovation.
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Cisco Switzerland Brings Innovative Digital Solutions to Patient Care
Photo via Adobe Stock.
January 16, 2023
Medical technologies are improving the lives of patients and making the work of doctors and nurses easier. Cisco Switzerland, with partners such as University Hospital Basel, is looking to the future of these technologies by innovating novel wearables solutions, writes Cisco’s Garif Yalak.
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edical technologies are improving the lives of patients and making the work of doctors and nurses easier. Cisco Switzerland, with partners such as University Hospital Basel, is looking to the future of these technologies by piloting and innovating novel wearables solutions.
Wristbands and other wearable technologies continue to change the future of patient care and hospital work. Wearables that track vital signs such as heart rate, body temperature, or blood pressure are quickly becoming transformational in health monitoring.
In a hospital setting, wearables optimize operations and reduce the burden on personnel. There is no need to disturb a patient in the middle of the night to take vital signs and measuring of vital signs remains continuous rather than at set points during the day. Data from a wearable is measured, and transmitted via the secure hospital network infrastructure to the appropriate health care team where it is available to be seen and evaluated via the clinical information system. In-person interference by nurses or doctors only occurs if there is a need, allowing for a patient to recover more quickly and for medical personnel to work more efficiently.
To enable these new technologies, the foundation needs to be properly set. The most important aspect is a modern, stable, and secure network infrastructure. Only once the foundation is set, new applications such as patient care with wearables can be properly implemented in a hospital premise. This modern, stable, and secure hospital network infrastructure can then be bridged to external locations and enable new use cases to be covered such as remote care and decentralized clinical trials.
For remote care, including elderly care, wearables can allow for a patient to be released from a hospital setting earlier because of the possibility of remote observation. Multiple studies have shown that patients recover faster at home and at the same time at a lower cost, benefiting patients and healthcare providers. Doctors, nurses, and a health care team can observe patients at home in combination with telemedicine and video conferencing, as long as proper cyber security actions are taken. Wearables can also alert a remote health care team of a dangerous change in vital signs in a patient; for example, data that points to a potential heart attack.
Additionally, wearables and remote options can improve health-related clinical trials, which face the problem of participants dropping out due to the inconvenience of traveling to see the doctor. Studies show that only 7% of patients conclude a clinical trial, which generally is a lengthy multi-year, and costly process. However, remote clinical trials can improve the retention rate of participants due to ease of use with technology like wearables and at the same time speed up the search for drugs and vaccines, as has happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. In combination with proper security and telepresence, there would be no need for volunteers to travel and see a doctor for all check-ups, which would ease the process and incentivize participation.
These possibilities are only made possible by collaboration and team support by all stakeholders involved in the healthcare ecosystem. As part of the Country Digital Acceleration program, Cisco supports the Swiss healthcare system in improving healthcare through multiple aspects of digitalization. In the case of the University Hospital Basel, Cisco financially supports the project with its Country Digital Acceleration Initiative in addition to contributing expertise and network technology. The existing Cisco infrastructure is used to securely connect the wearables for the transfer of data. A connection is automatically established as soon as a registered wristband nears a Cisco access point.
The successful implementation of wearables at the University Hospital Basel demonstrates the power of technology for medical use. Future expansion of wearables and other health technologies relies on the need for a strong, modern, stable, and secure network infrastructure, cybersecurity solutions, and communications solutions such as video conferencing. Cisco delivers all these technologies to support and build these services with a wide range of partners, helping pave way for seminal innovation.
