Patients Are in the Driver Seat and Setting the Agenda in Healthcare

Think about the last time you, a loved one, or a friend needed medical care. It can be an overwhelming, confusing, and often daunting experience. There isn’t a lot of transparency around what is happening, where you need to go, what you need to do—all of which compounds the stress of dealing with a routine visit or an ailment.

In a world where patients are center stage as consumers, differentiation through improved experiences has become a key business priority for healthcare providers. IoT and connected healthcare solutions exist to improve experiences by optimizing access to information, education, convenience, well-being, and entertainment.

Patient engagement systems offer access to test results, scheduling, and appointment reminders.

Location-based services help patients navigate the hospital, reducing anxiety and delays in care caused by lateness.

Access to condition-specific educational materials helps patients take better control of their healthcare and reduce readmissions.

Support for innovative treatment options, like virtual reality, can help with pain management and potential healing.

In-hospital online services, such as Wi-Fi for patients and visitors, help improve the experience.

But to deliver these solutions to patients, their families, and caregivers, it’s critical that the right network infrastructure is in place. For example, Wi-Fi is useless if patients and visitors are unable to access it or it’s unreliable. At the same time, while Wi-Fi is a nice amenity, patients would not want the service if it compromises security or the operational effectiveness of medical technology.

Better patient experiences don’t have to come with risk to the network. To explore these opportunities and network solutions in more depth, Creative Intellect Consulting has developed a series of four papers – including one on Progressing the patient experience in IoT and connected healthcare.

In case you missed it:

The network foundation for IoT and connected healthcare

Security priorities for IoT and connected healthcare

Streamlining clinical experiences in IoT and connected healthcare

Learn more about the role the network can play in improving healthcare outcomes at cisco.com/go/healthcare.