Study Shows Increased Reliance on Wireless Networks in Healthcare Industries

A study just released by Extreme Networks highlights the growing importance of reliable and resilient wireless networks in the healthcare industry for both patients and physicians. Technology has advanced and so have the policies that allow hospitals and other medical facilities to work efficiently. As the technological backbone of any institution, wireless networks have shown to have the most impact on every aspect of operation. This coupled with the general rise of expectations in the technology used by healthcare organizations, have made the adoption of a reliable, secure and powerful wireless network a necessity for any hospital, clinic or practice.

To better understand the status and trends of hospital Wi-Fi use in 2016, Extreme polled over 100 healthcare IT professionals around the world to learn how they are utilizing wireless in their hospitals and found:

• Hospitals are using wireless for medical records, devices and clinical communication, but over 70 percent of wireless technology is being used for guest access.
• The biggest concern related to Wi-Fi in a medical environment is security and compliance, closely followed by performance.
• Almost 90 percent of hospitals polled provide free Wi-Fi to patients and guests.
• Over 50 percent of hospitals polled already have or are planning the implementation of patient apps with over 20 percent considering it.
• Nearly one third of hospitals polled are using Wi-Fi to connect medical devices.
• Half stated that the biggest benefit of smartphone use in the hospital environment is improving physician’s access to information closely followed by enhancing communication collaboration and care coordination.

For more information on this study and access to the info-graphic, visit extremenetworks.com