5G connects ambulances to hospitals for more accurate diagnosis and critical treatment

Vodafone 5G has removed the physical distance between ambulances and hospitals, helping response teams in Milan share key patient data with emergency departments faster than ever and prevent treatment delays on arrival.

  • Paramedics will be able to send vital signs and 360° images in real time or make reliable video calls to aid diagnosis

  • Doctors can receive diagnostic exams from the scene before the patient arrives at the hospital, optimising the treatment time

  • Paramedics can instantly review a patient’s healthcare history and apply required procedures by wearing AR-equipped glasses

  • Connected ambulances help staff in A&E to target treatment and prioritise the most urgent cases

During the journey, paramedics will be able to send vital signs and 360° images in real time thanks to the Vodafone 5G network’s ultra-low latency. This reduces lag time to just a few milliseconds.

High-resolution video calls between ambulance and hospital staff will be reliable and responsive, giving doctors a better understanding of the emergency. Again, Vodafone’s 5G network and the low latency it provides that makes the difference here.

“Neurologists in hospital, for example, might ask a patient who's had a stroke to move their arm. If there’s a lag on the video call, the neurologist can’t really understand if it’s the technology or if the patient has been impacted by the stroke.”

5G enables pre-hospital treatment

Doctors can instruct paramedics to perform diagnostic exams, such as ultrasound scans, usually performed at the hospital. By wearing AR-equipped glasses, paramedics can use artificial intelligence (AI) technology to guide them through critical procedures at the scene or en-route.

Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) places processing power closer to the end user, minimising latency even more when using high-bandwidth applications. This also means data transferred to and from the ambulance happens in real time, and is secure.

Connected ambulances lead to more efficient hospitals

Remote diagnosis and treatment ensure the patient receives the right medical support before they reach the hospital and helps staff to determine where the ambulance should go for most critical patient management.

The removal of any distance barrier between the hospital and ambulance enables quicker and more efficient management of the patient when they arrive at the hospital.

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