The project "5G4Healthcare"
Objectives
It is the objective of the project 5G4Healthcare to establish a platform based on 5G technology, that enables testing and evaluation of digital applications in scenarios of rural healthcare in living labs (real environments) and test beds. Two defined use cases are the starting point in which exemplary scenarios are used to determine which added value and effects can be realised through digital solutions in healthcare and which additional potential through 5G technology can be unlocked.
Use case Integrated care
In the frame of the use case Integrated care, a comprehensive digital health-based integrated care approach - as well outpatient as inpatient sectors - for rural areas is to be implemented. In order to implement this, electronic health records and telemedical procedures are to be used, which enable location-independent availability of patient data and facilitate concrete measures of telemedical therapy and diagnostics (keyword tele-consultation). In the final stage the aim is to create a virtual care centre, which in addition to conventional care facilities, will enable permanently available, high-quality and efficient expert care.
Use case Home care
The second use case Home care in combination with ambient assisted living aims towards implementation of a comprehensive digital health-based approach with the involvement of representatives of the outpatient sector, explicitly addressing home care and care in rural areas. Due to decentralized infrastructure and lack of communication between General Practitioners (GP) - patient - pharmacy - medical supply store - nursing service - health insurance company, current care of home-cared patients in rural areas is lengthy, limited by many sources of error and thus inefficient. In order to optimize the entire logistics around the home care patient, a new communication platform will be established in the form of an innovative, mobile IT collaboration tool, in which GP - pharmacy - medical supply store - nursing service - patients are involved. The infrastructure for the actors involved is to be supplemented by the use of assistance solutions and smart devices for a self-determined life in daily situations, as well as by automated solutions in patient care.
Methods and resources in the project 5G4Healthcare
The objectives of the project 5G4Healthcare are realized by means of a modular set of methods and distributed among the work packages in the project process. In addition to the overall project management, there are sub-projects for the testbed at the health and medical technology campus of the Technical University of Applied Sciences Amberg-Weiden as well as for the Living Lab at Weiden hospital and a mobile Living Lab. In summary, the sub-projects of the physical network structure represent the methodological framework which the use cases / scenarios as well as the associated workstreams can be assigned.
5G as a catalyst for digitalization in healthcare
5G technologies will optimize communication in areas such as telemonitoring oder telemedicine and, in combination with other elements of digitalization in healthcare, will fundamentally change the way in which healthcare is delivered in the 21st century. 5G applications in healthcare must meet essential requirements such as reliability, availability and security for rapid and high-volume data transmission. Against the background of the characteristics and advantages of 5G technology, a large number of exemplary applications and fields of application are conceivable, which benefit greatly from the potential of 5G.
The following scenarios are examples of how 5G technologies are changing future healthcare. 5G enables the continuously increasing requirements of digital applications in terms of capacity, bandwidth, availability and latency, which are prioritized differently depending on the application. Essentially, three application performance indicators can be distinguished in which 5G can be used: eMBB, mMTC and uRLLC.
