As the 5G network becomes more widely available in Australia and other countries across the globe, healthcare organisations are gaining access to mobile connectivity that is faster, more capable and more reliable. A large volume of medical data can already be transferred over existing mobile networks in a short space of time — but 5G can provide greater network capacity, supporting many more devices than was previously possible. 5G healthcare applications have the potential to make medical services more efficient and more widely available. This article discusses the key benefits of a 5G network in healthcare.

Fast transfer of large medical image files

5G is around ten times faster than existing networks. Therefore the large images produced by MRI and PET scans will be easier to transfer to doctors in different departments for immediate diagnoses, streamlining referrals and access to expert advice.

Although this may not make much practical difference when transferring a single image file, for hospitals that transfer hundreds of such images every day it could be significant. For medical facilities using all of the mobile network capacity they have available, 5G can provide much-needed breathing space and the opportunity to expand in the future.

5G healthcare use cases for large image files include the transfer of scans to remote specialists. MRI and PET scans, along with detailed X-ray images, will be able to be sent to doctors anywhere that 5G is available, taking just a few seconds to download. In cases where local hospitals have scanning equipment but not specialist diagnostic capabilities, the ability to send large image files within seconds will be invaluable.

Telemedicine

A stable, high-speed connection is essential for the delivery of remote medical services. With the federal government giving their seal of approval for telemedicine services in Australia beyond lockdowns, this sector is set to grow exponentially in the coming years. 5G and healthcare are natural partners where the delivery of remote medical services is concerned. And with the ability to support hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections that 5G offers, such connections will be available even in the most densely populated of cities.

Phone diagnoses from any location will become a realistic possibility once 5G has been rolled out across the country. In areas where waiting lists to see a therapist or doctor in person are long or physical distances make it a difficult proposition, telemedicine makes a real difference to the lives and health of individuals from all walks of life. It will also help to reduce waiting times in busier areas, as doctors can process patients more efficiently.

AR/VR technology

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology is already being employed by healthcare organisations to remotely deliver a small number of non-invasive treatments to patients.

With the rollout of 5G networks across Australia, it will potentially be possible to use this type of technology over mobile connections. This won’t just be for guided treatments but for training and collaborative purposes too. AR/VR is already used to help PTSD sufferers and to reduce anxiety in younger patients before major operations.

Perhaps the most exciting possibilities for AR/VR applications in the healthcare industry lie in the field of medical training. The ability to participate in a guided virtual operation with an experienced specialist, for example, provides great value to surgeons-in-training. In emergency situations where a trained specialist is not present and transportation of the patient is not possible, AR could enable a surgeon to perform a procedure with guidance from a remote specialist who has access to 5G.

AR/VR over 5G may also help surgical teams to collaborate more efficiently. Medical teams will easily be able to hold in-depth pre-operation meetings from across the country if they have access to high-speed 5G connections. 3D AR/VR patient models, which require plenty of bandwidth and a very stable connection, can be transferred over 5G networks with ease, despite the large amounts of data involved.

Artificial Intelligence

There is huge potential for the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence in healthcare applications, but only a small number of the possibilities have been explored so far.

One of the biggest hurdles to overcome when using machine learning in healthcare is the large amounts of data required. In order for a machine to learn how to accurately determine whether a mole is cancerous, for example, it must process a huge amount of data from documented cases. With 5G, health professionals may be able to perform AIassisted diagnoses and administer certain guided types of treatment.

AI has an important role to play in preventative medicine, too. It can be used to analyse vital signs and alert people to potential issues before these issues have a chance to impact their health. In order to provide this kind of service to large numbers of people, a mobile network that can handle up to a million devices per square kilometre is ideal. With 5G, AI monitoring of health can become a reality for millions of people in large cities across Australia.

IoT sensors

People all over the world are already using wearable devices to monitor their heart rate and other vital signs. With high-speed mobile networks, they will be able to share the data collected by their devices with medical professionals. For patients requiring close observation, the use of Internet of Things (IoT) devices will enable them to continue living as normal a life as possible while remaining under observation. Unless it’s a medical necessity, there will likely be less need for them to stay in a healthcare facility to be monitored.

With continual access to 5G and health professionals, it should be easier for people with all types of conditions to stay in their homes and still be monitored at all times. Network capacity and reliability are unlikely to be an issue in the future, even at the busiest of times.

Mobile clinics

Various types of mobile clinics have been used in the past by healthcare organisations across the world and continue to be used today for specialised applications such as COVID-19 testing.

With wireless technology in healthcare vehicles connected to a 5G network, medical staff will be able to transfer larger amounts of data at higher speeds than is currently possible. This will allow them to provide a wider range of diagnostic services in remote areas of the country from these clinics where 5G is available.

Robotic surgery

Robot surgeons may sound like something out of a science fiction film. While it is true that it is likely to be some time before we see their introduction into mainstream healthcare in Australia, other countries have already tested such technology. The US Air Force is engaged in training its medical personnel to perform remote surgical procedures with the help of robot surgeons, and it’s reported that tests in China have been successfully completed. But before these types of procedures can be safely performed from any location, very reliable Internet connections are necessary. The use of 5G in healthcare facilities equipped with robotic surgery technology will potentially enable remote procedures to be performed in areas where it is not currently possible.

Autonomous medical supply vehicles

Delivering medicine to areas where it is likely that medical staff will come into contact with infected patients is a risky proposition. COVID19 has highlighted this risk, but there is one very effective way to combat it: autonomous vehicles. Vehicles without a human driver, which rely on guidance from remote computers to safely negotiate their way around obstacles, generate a significant amount of data. In order to collect and process this data quickly and efficiently, a very high-speed mobile network is required. 5G offers the performance that such vehicles will require — healthcare organisations in countries like Thailand are already planning to use it for this specific purpose.

Lower maintenance costs

When discussing 5G’s impact on health services, most of the focus is on the potential for medical advances that it offers and how it will facilitate more efficient medical services. However, there is a less glamorous but equally important benefit it has to offer: lower maintenance costs for medical facilities of all sizes. With access to a high-speed, high capacity mobile network, it potentially will no longer be necessary to spend money maintaining and extending wired networks in hospitals and clinics. Maintenance costs can potentially be handled by the network provider, allowing medical facilities to spend more of their maintenance budget in other important areas.

Higher quality emergency response services

Of all the 5G benefits in healthcare, those it offers to emergency responders are of particular interest, because they have the potential to make a big difference to the type of treatment received by patients in need of urgent medical care.

Paramedics equipped with wearable cameras will be able to make live video calls to medical specialists when transporting patients to hospitals, allowing them to perform guided emergency procedures that they might otherwise be unable to undertake. 5G provides the necessary bandwidth for high-quality twoway video calls in mobile situations.

5G healthcare benefits for pharmaceutical companies

Clinical trials for new drugs involve a continual flow of large amounts of data. The faster and more efficiently this data can be collected and analysed, the easier it is to ensure that new drugs are safe and to bring them to market. With 5G mobile networks, pharmaceutical companies can use IoT monitoring devices to collect data from very large groups of people in clinical trials, without the need for them to stay in a medical facility. This can lower the cost of trials, making it possible to conduct more trials every year. It will also allow people who otherwise would not have the time to participate in trials to help companies develop important new treatments.

The key benefits of 5G in healthcare

5G provides several key benefits that can be used to improve healthcare services in some areas and make new services possible in others. The ability to handle more data at higher speeds and to support more devices with more stable connections presents new possibilities to healthcare providers everywhere once 5G becomes more widely available.

Fast transfer of large medical image files

5G is around ten times faster than existing networks. Therefore the large images produced by MRI and PET scans will be easier to transfer to doctors in different departments for immediate diagnoses, streamlining referrals and access to expert advice.

Although this may not make much practical difference when transferring a single image file, for hospitals that transfer hundreds of such images every day it could be significant. For medical facilities using all of the mobile network capacity they have available, 5G can provide much-needed breathing space and the opportunity to expand in the future.

5G healthcare use cases for large image files include the transfer of scans to remote specialists. MRI and PET scans, along with detailed X-ray images, will be able to be sent to doctors anywhere that 5G is available, taking just a few seconds to download. In cases where local hospitals have scanning equipment but not specialist diagnostic capabilities, the ability to send large image files within seconds will be invaluable.

Telemedicine

A stable, high-speed connection is essential for the delivery of remote medical services. With the federal government giving their seal of approval for telemedicine services in Australia beyond lockdowns, this sector is set to grow exponentially in the coming years. 5G and healthcare are natural partners where the delivery of remote medical services is concerned. And with the ability to support hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections that 5G offers, such connections will be available even in the most densely populated of cities.

Phone diagnoses from any location will become a realistic possibility once 5G has been rolled out across the country. In areas where waiting lists to see a therapist or doctor in person are long or physical distances make it a difficult proposition, telemedicine makes a real difference to the lives and health of individuals from all walks of life. It will also help to reduce waiting times in busier areas, as doctors can process patients more efficiently.

AR/VR technology

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology is already being employed by healthcare organisations to remotely deliver a small number of non-invasive treatments to patients.

With the rollout of 5G networks across Australia, it will potentially be possible to use this type of technology over mobile connections. This won’t just be for guided treatments but for training and collaborative purposes too. AR/VR is already used to help PTSD sufferers and to reduce anxiety in younger patients before major operations.

Perhaps the most exciting possibilities for AR/VR applications in the healthcare industry lie in the field of medical training. The ability to participate in a guided virtual operation with an experienced specialist, for example, provides great value to surgeons-in-training. In emergency situations where a trained specialist is not present and transportation of the patient is not possible, AR could enable a surgeon to perform a procedure with guidance from a remote specialist who has access to 5G.

AR/VR over 5G may also help surgical teams to collaborate more efficiently. Medical teams will easily be able to hold in-depth pre-operation meetings from across the country if they have access to high-speed 5G connections. 3D AR/VR patient models, which require plenty of bandwidth and a very stable connection, can be transferred over 5G networks with ease, despite the large amounts of data involved.

Artificial Intelligence

There is huge potential for the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence in healthcare applications, but only a small number of the possibilities have been explored so far.

One of the biggest hurdles to overcome when using machine learning in healthcare is the large amounts of data required. In order for a machine to learn how to accurately determine whether a mole is cancerous, for example, it must process a huge amount of data from documented cases. With 5G, health professionals may be able to perform AIassisted diagnoses and administer certain guided types of treatment.

AI has an important role to play in preventative medicine, too. It can be used to analyse vital signs and alert people to potential issues before these issues have a chance to impact their health. In order to provide this kind of service to large numbers of people, a mobile network that can handle up to a million devices per square kilometre is ideal. With 5G, AI monitoring of health can become a reality for millions of people in large cities across Australia.

IoT sensors

People all over the world are already using wearable devices to monitor their heart rate and other vital signs. With high-speed mobile networks, they will be able to share the data collected by their devices with medical professionals. For patients requiring close observation, the use of Internet of Things (IoT) devices will enable them to continue living as normal a life as possible while remaining under observation. Unless it’s a medical necessity, there will likely be less need for them to stay in a healthcare facility to be monitored.

With continual access to 5G and health professionals, it should be easier for people with all types of conditions to stay in their homes and still be monitored at all times. Network capacity and reliability are unlikely to be an issue in the future, even at the busiest of times.

Mobile clinics

Various types of mobile clinics have been used in the past by healthcare organisations across the world and continue to be used today for specialised applications such as COVID-19 testing.

With wireless technology in healthcare vehicles connected to a 5G network, medical staff will be able to transfer larger amounts of data at higher speeds than is currently possible. This will allow them to provide a wider range of diagnostic services in remote areas of the country from these clinics where 5G is available.

Robotic surgery

Robot surgeons may sound like something out of a science fiction film. While it is true that it is likely to be some time before we see their introduction into mainstream healthcare in Australia, other countries have already tested such technology. The US Air Force is engaged in training its medical personnel to perform remote surgical procedures with the help of robot surgeons, and it’s reported that tests in China have been successfully completed. But before these types of procedures can be safely performed from any location, very reliable Internet connections are necessary. The use of 5G in healthcare facilities equipped with robotic surgery technology will potentially enable remote procedures to be performed in areas where it is not currently possible.

Autonomous medical supply vehicles

Delivering medicine to areas where it is likely that medical staff will come into contact with infected patients is a risky proposition. COVID19 has highlighted this risk, but there is one very effective way to combat it: autonomous vehicles. Vehicles without a human driver, which rely on guidance from remote computers to safely negotiate their way around obstacles, generate a significant amount of data. In order to collect and process this data quickly and efficiently, a very high-speed mobile network is required. 5G offers the performance that such vehicles will require — healthcare organisations in countries like Thailand are already planning to use it for this specific purpose.

Lower maintenance costs

When discussing 5G’s impact on health services, most of the focus is on the potential for medical advances that it offers and how it will facilitate more efficient medical services. However, there is a less glamorous but equally important benefit it has to offer: lower maintenance costs for medical facilities of all sizes. With access to a high-speed, high capacity mobile network, it potentially will no longer be necessary to spend money maintaining and extending wired networks in hospitals and clinics. Maintenance costs can potentially be handled by the network provider, allowing medical facilities to spend more of their maintenance budget in other important areas.

Higher quality emergency response services

Of all the 5G benefits in healthcare, those it offers to emergency responders are of particular interest, because they have the potential to make a big difference to the type of treatment received by patients in need of urgent medical care.

Paramedics equipped with wearable cameras will be able to make live video calls to medical specialists when transporting patients to hospitals, allowing them to perform guided emergency procedures that they might otherwise be unable to undertake. 5G provides the necessary bandwidth for high-quality twoway video calls in mobile situations.

5G healthcare benefits for pharmaceutical companies

Clinical trials for new drugs involve a continual flow of large amounts of data. The faster and more efficiently this data can be collected and analysed, the easier it is to ensure that new drugs are safe and to bring them to market. With 5G mobile networks, pharmaceutical companies can use IoT monitoring devices to collect data from very large groups of people in clinical trials, without the need for them to stay in a medical facility. This can lower the cost of trials, making it possible to conduct more trials every year. It will also allow people who otherwise would not have the time to participate in trials to help companies develop important new treatments.