Covid-19 transformed health systems across the globe, creating a surge in telemedicine and a shift to remote consultations. But in June 2020, a BMA survey found that 50% of GPs remote consultations had been limited by internet speed or bandwidth, hardware and software, and IT infrastructure; care homes often have poor connectivity and members of the public (particularly those living in deprived or rural areas) struggle with connectivity, too. 5G’s improved network capacity (high-bandwidth; low latency) presents a solution: O2 has stated 5G could free up an extra one million hours per year for the NHS through video conferencing, and save big cities millions of pounds through internet-connected wearables (electronic devices that people can wear, like Fitbits and smartwatches, that are designed to collect the data of users' personal health such as wearable blood pressure monitors or ECG monitors).
Mass Health Screening and Testing
Mass health monitoring of asymptomatic individuals as a precautionary measure, such as the NHS breast screening programme and bowel cancer screening checks, illustrate the value of being able to screen the public at scale. During the pandemic, some countries chose to adopt mass screening methods for Covid-19 and these, alongside the testing regimes deployed in the UK and countries across the globe, needed to minimise the risks to healthcare workers, which could exacerbate the spread of the virus. 5G’s high-bandwidth enables the processing of unprecedented volumes of data in real time, supporting mass screening and testing endeavours. When used to power Machine Learning or robots, screening and testing can not only be highly effective but requires minimal human intervention.
When will this be available? View our predicted timeline here.
Telemedicine
Remote health care facilitates fewer missed appointments and increased patient throughput. For patients, this results in better access to healthcare and improved safety.
Ericsson found that 70% of patients with chronic illnesses felt care delivered closer to home would help them manage their health more effectively, while 51% of cross-industry decision makers believe shifting care from hospital settings into the community could reduce costs and improve overall efficiency.
However, in June 2020, a BMA survey found that 50% of GPs had been limited by internet speed or bandwidth, hardware and software, and IT infrastructure; care homes and members of the public (particularly those living in deprived or rural areas) struggle with connectivity, too.
But 5G’s low latency and high bandwidth will change this, enabling ultra high definition video consultations and the handling of huge volumes of data: O2 believes that 5G video conference technology could free up an extra one million hours per year for the NHS. The network’s ability to support a much denser network of IoT sensors additionally facilitates more effective consultations than currently possible.
When will this be available? View our predicted timeline here.
Live Remote Diagnosis
5G’s high bandwidth could lead to a democratisation of healthcare. Reliable video consultations and the ability to transfer large volumes of data (such as X-Rays and MRI images) will create real-time access to geographically dispersed expertise.
When will this be available? View our predicted timeline here.
Shorten Time for Diagnosis
Faster diagnoses can deliver better patient outcomes. But diagnostic tools require huge volumes of data, putting considerable strain on today’s networks and slowing down the process. Yet 5G’s high bandwidth and reliability enables the rapid transfer of large, complex data sets and digital images such as MRI or CAT scans. It also enables AI and Machine Learning for continuous real-time monitoring and speedier, more accurate analysis of diverse data sets.
When will this be available? View our predicted timeline here.
Enable More Complex Diagnoses
Advanced technology — powered by 5G — will support more complex diagnoses by way of next-level medical imaging and AI. Short videos can be captured that show how a body moves from one position to another, providing levels of insight not possible with static images. Doctors are able to see how different parts of the body and organs are moving, facilitating diagnoses related to abnormal movement patterns that are hard to capture with conventional X-ray technology.
Enable Less Invasive and Resource Intensive Diagnostic Techniques
In the wake of the pandemic, the backlog of patients waiting for tests and procedures is substantial: in April 2021, there were 187,000 patients in the UK scheduled for an endoscopy, many of them on waiting lists. What’s more, such procedures are costly to perform and unpleasant for the patient. Though not a new concept, pill-sized cameras offer less invasive techniques alongside a richness of data, transferred in real-time. With 5G however, high bandwidth and low latency also makes remote supervision possible, opening up the potential for new, less intrusive tests to be self-administered from home. This new wave of 5G-powered diagnostic techniques also offer greater efficiency.
Automation of Analysis
The high bandwidth of advanced connectivity solutions allows the transfer of huge volumes of data for diagnosis, along with the automation of data analysis. This is expected to play a critical role in relieving the stress on stretched healthcare workers and should help to overcome the challenge of human visual fatigue that has been associated with reduced diagnostic accuracy.
Remote Monitoring of Those with No-Known Health Conditions
A large proportion of the population are already tracking their movement, heart rate, sleep patterns and even blood oxygen levels. While these devices (such as the Apple Watch) may not be sufficiently accurate or reliable for diagnosis, medical grade devices could be proactively deployed to the population in order to reliably measure biomedical signals such as blood pressure, body temperature and blood sugar.
A 5G network can support a high density of devices, which allows for real-time monitoring of signals. This will help support the growing need for preventative medicine, and increase the health and quality of life of people throughout the country, as well as easing pressures on the health and social care sector.