5G network pivotal in healthcare transformation, reveals Ericsson report

Next-generation networks will be pivotal in healthcare transformation, providing transmission efficiency in an ecosystem of feedback and alerts, mobility and low latency, according to Ericsson's latest consumer lab report.

The report titled 'From Healthcare to Homecare' reveals consumer insights on the impact of 5G on the future of healthcare and its transformation across preventative, routine and post-operative care.

The networks will become a vehicle for a range of applications, including remote monitoring through medical-grade wearables, virtual doctor-patient interaction, and remotely operated robotic surgery.

Key findings include the decentralisation of healthcare moving from hospitals towards homes. Also, patient data is becoming more centralised, thus turning hospitals into data centers. Increasing dependence on wearables and remote treatments makes 5G essential to provide reliable and secure services.

Evolving consumer expectations, anytime patient data access, and increased internet use are also making way for non-traditional players to disrupt the healthcare industry.

This report covers insights from an online survey of 4,500 advanced smartphone broadband users in Germany, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States, in addition to an online survey of 900 decision makers across six industries in these countries - healthcare, insurance, medical technology companies, telecom operators, app developers/aggregators and government regulatory bodies.