Telemedicine with 5G

In areas where there is a shortage of doctors and where fast intervention is needed, 5G will be making medicine mobile. Application options range from diagnostic telemedicine to the concept of remote surgery and are constantly evolving, with the Internet of Things or the collection and analysis of previously separate medical information. What the scenarios have in common is the fact that they are time-sensitive use cases, and that up to extremely reduced latencies.

When you look at rural regions of Switzerland, you will see a large deficit: a shortage of doctors. Although socio-political measures are being used to drive against it, it will take a long time until tangible improvements will have been made.

The benefits of 5G in telemedicine

The expansion with 5G will more quickly result in an increase in the medical care coverage. In this case, telemedicine will only work, however, if the infrastructure is in place. Then, all relevant patient information can be transmitted immediately to the attending physician.

Office appointments via video connection will then be typical. Individual consultations are time-sensitive even without an emergency. In their practices, doctors have to be able to plan their time wisely without having to wait for patient information or having to deal with a slowed-down video office appointment. With targeted construction activities, an antenna network can be created that utilizes all the benefits of 5G, from the patient to the doctor.

This will allow residents of rural areas to enjoy medical treatment comparable to the treatment that is available in large cities. And it will be digital – from the prescription for the appropriate medication to the first exam, without having to drive and then wait. This is one of the features of 5G that also benefits people in the cities who are not able to leave their homes.