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Cellular connectivity is fast becoming integral to healthcare; according to Market Watch, global investment in Internet of Things (IoT) from the medical industry should reach $410 billion by 2022, and much of this investment will come directly from cellular IoT markets. Cellular connectivity could improve operational efficiency, enhance security, and push healthcare towards a more preventive model by better supporting IoT connected medical devices.

Improving Operational Efficiency

With the rollout of the higher speed 5G network, it may be possible to link an entire medical center across one cellular network, and to connect thousands of devices across one network. Where robotic surgery is concerned, the 5G network can enable more complex procedures entirely facilitated by cellular connectivity and performed in more remote locations. Right now, only can be performed with these means because of limitations in network bandwidth and speed. Current remote surgical procedures are restricted to hospital environments or locations where wired or highspeed Wi-Fi connectivity and network bandwidth are non-issues.

IoT Connected Medical Devices

The 5G network can better support IoT connected medical devices; it contains a computing model that pulls insights from data with billions of devices. Cellular connectivity allows data from devices to be collected and made available to physicians and caretakers remotely and in real-time. Patient health data can be stored securely in the cloud to prevent loss and allow physicians to access individual data as well as conduct population-wide analytics. Connectivity can also be achieved through wireless connections to smartphones or tablets, enabling smaller, easier to use devices by simplifying user interfaces and allowing patients to be monitored from home.

Read the entire article here. Waqaasโ€™ article is available on Health Data Answers. Health Data Answers is a community network site dedicated to educating healthcare providers and other stakeholders on the advancement of health information exchange, interoperability and federal initiatives to adopt HIT standards.