The smart system planned with the owners group and operators utilizes a converged network that acts as a central spine for all the building management system, the hospital’s operational procedures and all aspects of patient care via the Internet of Things (IoT). This schematic design allows for considerable operational efficiency to be generated. Previously, each service would have been managed independently, but now all data is consolidated into a single backbone with secure access. The hospital and patient ward buildings are fully equipped with WI-FI system equipment to allow the internet and WLAN communication within the hospital buildings. To compliment this the IT network installation also connects the medical services network, the office administration network and provides a network for the patient and their family.
Medical records, patient treatment regimes, medical equipment, gas systems, HVAC, lighting, staff management, voice communications systems, security, and financial services, are all planned for the converged network. This enables better collaboration, the creation of useful applications, and the network can be monitored by a single operations manager. Although the data is in one place, it is separated virtually to provide each team with access to its own system. Security is paramount and provided via a centralised firewall complemented by a strict internet access policy with internal gateways to limit access for patients and public users of the system.
Energy efficiency and cost savings are made possible because the converged network allows services to interact. Building services are linked to the check-in system, for example, so that heating, lighting and air conditioning in individual rooms can be automatically switched on when a patient arrives, and turned off when the room is unoccupied.
Applications are planned to improve patient and hospital user experience including a way-finding system to help navigate the large and complex hospital site, and a check-in procedure linked to the communications system so that staff can contact patients individually. These applications mean patients can move around the hospital while waiting for their appointments, then find their way to the correct treatment centre via an appropriate route, perhaps using elevators instead of stairs if they have difficulty walking, for example. Remote treatment options are also made possible because all data is contained in the Cloud, and communicated via the Internet.
