The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
National Engineering Laboratory for Internet Medical Systems and Applications, Zhengzhou, China.
J Med Internet Res. 2024 Oct 24;26:e52404. doi: 10.2196/52404.
To date, the differentiated requirements for network performance in various health care service scenarios-within, outside, and between hospitals-remain a key challenge that restricts the development and implementation of digital medical services.
This study aims to construct and implement a private 5G (the 5th generation mobile communication technology) standalone (SA) medical network in a smart health environment to meet the diverse needs of various medical services.
Based on an analysis of network differentiation requirements in medical applications, the system architecture and functional positioning of the proposed private 5G SA medical network are designed and implemented. The system architecture includes the development of exclusive and preferential channels for medical use, as well as an ordinary user channel. A 3-layer network function architecture is designed, encompassing resource, control, and intelligent operation layers to facilitate management arrangements and provide network open services. Core technologies, including edge cloud collaboration; service awareness; and slicing of access, bearer, and core networks, are employed in the construction and application of the 5G SA network.
The construction of the private 5G SA medical network primarily involves system architecture, standards, and security measures. The system, featuring exclusive, preferential, and common channels, supports a variety of medical applications. Relevant standards are adhered to in order to ensure the interaction and sharing of medical service information. Security is achieved through mechanisms such as authentication, abnormal behavior analysis, and dynamic access control. Three typical medical applications that rely on the 5G network in intrahospital, interhospital, and out-of-hospital scenarios-namely, mobile ward rounds, remote first aid, and remote ultrasound-were conducted. Testing of the 5G-enabled mobile ward rounds showed an average download rate of 790 Mbps and an average upload rate of 91 Mbps. Compared with 4G, the 5G network more effectively meets the diverse requirements of various business applications in prehospital emergency scenarios. For remote ultrasound, the average downlink rate of the 5G network is 4.82 Mbps, and the average uplink rate is 2 Mbps, with an average fluctuation of approximately 8 ms. The bandwidth, performance, and delay of the 5G SA network were also examined and confirmed to be effective.
The proposed 5G SA medical network demonstrates strong performance in typical medical applications. Its construction and application could lead to the development of new medical service models and provide valuable references for the further advancement and implementation of 5G networks in other industries, both in China and globally.
迄今为止，不同医疗服务场景（医院内、医院间和医院外）对网络性能的差异化需求仍是制约数字化医疗服务发展和落地的关键挑战。
本研究旨在构建并实施面向智慧医疗环境的专用 5G 独立（SA）医疗网络，以满足多样化的医疗服务需求。
基于医疗应用的网络差异化需求分析，设计并实现了专用 5G SA 医疗网络的系统架构和功能定位。系统架构包括为医疗专用开发的专属和优先通道，以及普通用户通道。设计了包括资源、控制和智能运营层的 3 层网络功能架构，以实现管理安排并提供网络开放服务。在 5G SA 网络的构建和应用中，采用了边缘云协作、服务感知和接入、承载和核心网络切片等核心技术。
专用 5G SA 医疗网络的构建主要涉及系统架构、标准和安全措施。该系统具有专属、优先和普通通道，支持多种医疗应用。为了确保医疗服务信息的交互和共享，遵循相关标准。通过认证、异常行为分析和动态访问控制等机制实现安全。在医院内、医院间和院外场景下，开展了三个典型的基于 5G 网络的医疗应用，即移动查房、远程急救和远程超声。测试表明，启用 5G 后移动查房的平均下载速率为 790 Mbps，平均上传速率为 91 Mbps。与 4G 相比，5G 网络更有效地满足了院前急救场景中各种业务应用的多样化需求。对于远程超声，5G 网络的平均下行速率为 4.82 Mbps，平均上行速率为 2 Mbps，平均波动约为 8 ms。5G SA 网络的带宽、性能和延迟也得到了检验和确认。
所提出的 5G SA 医疗网络在典型医疗应用中表现出强大的性能。其构建和应用可能会催生新的医疗服务模式，并为 5G 网络在国内外其他行业的进一步发展和落地提供有价值的参考。
