Emergency Hospital Expansion. Medicine’s Worst-Case Scenario. Now What?
A new pandemic creates a healthcare crisis, which can easily overrun a medical system’s capacity. From the seasonal flu epidemics to the onset of the global spread of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), hospitals around the world are now facing their own crisis—running out of emergency medical space and not enough patient beds to care for the seriously ill. The clock can become ticking ever so quickly; to act fast for every minute counts as the health of many can be at risk.
Addressing the demand for emergency care requires several vital components, including the following:
Temporary Shelters Different locations will often use what is available to urgently meet the demand. From state fairgrounds, convention centers, recently vacated buildings, schools, and recreation centers to setting up emergency medical tents and inflatable hospital shelters right outside of a medical facility or within a short distance.
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Communication Network If faced with setting up a pop-up triage or a mobile hospital surge unit, you will also need to extend your data network to the temporary facility and fast. The remote emergency tent will need:
Connectivity for VoIP telephones.
Computer connectivity for admissions, medical records, and prescriptions.
Provide connectivity for diagnostic imaging, like MRIs, X-Rays, and CT scans.
Ability to keep track of and locate equipment using AeroScout asset tags.
Private Wi-Fi for hospital personnel for connectivity to tablets, laptops, and phones.
And lastly and just as important, the network needs to be secure.
Network Deployment Options One, running cables everywhere to every device but that creates a safety hazard as well as not providing Wi-Fi access for hospital personnel. Two, installing Wi-Fi access points everywhere to create the connectivity, but they still require cables once again adding a safety hazard. Or three, deploying a Kinetic Mesh® network that provides wireless backhaul and Wi-Fi access eliminating all cables and providing the connectivity required.
