5G, or the fifth generation of international mobile phone standards if you prefer, is widely touted by telecommunications companies as the technology that allows you to download movies faster than necessary. However, in addition to being able to stream every Netflix stream at the same time, 5G will also change the way we care for ourselves and one another.
an aging population
"Healthcare currently faces many significant challenges," said Derek Long, head of telecommunications and mobile at Cambridge Consultants. "We are an aging population. Another (challenge) that comes with this is first global ills and chronic diseases. Treatments are not only more expensive, but they are applied for longer and to more people. It is all a high cost The fact that health services in the UK are facing problems partly because of the aging of the population is a common sentiment among spokespersons for the NHS. Earlier this year, NHS England Chief Executive Simon Stevens launched the NHS's long-term plan, explaining how the service will meet growing demand over the next ten years. In his seven-minute speech, Stevens spoke three times about the judgment of an aging population: first, he said the plan would ensure support for older people in the community, then the UK would see a million more retirees in the next five years, and finally, a girl born on the NHS today had a three in three chance of living over 100 years. More people living longer need more staff, new approaches, or (ideally) both.
(Image credit: pexels) The scheme itself guarantees a new technology solution: the option of online consultations with a doctor for all NHS patients, which will cut outpatient consultations by a third", saving £30m of patients in hospital and saving over a billion pounds in the NHS year." 5G, with its faster speeds and reduced latency, will make these online consultations possible. The plan also envisions a shift in focus from treatment to prevention; identify disease earlier, before patient needs become urgent (and therefore more expensive). By helping solve problems sooner, 5G could revolutionize healthcare for everyone in the UK, young or old, with at least one large-scale trial underway in Liverpool. "The solution adopted by the health system as a general philosophical approach is to abandon the treatment of the disease in favor of preventive health: manage what people do and give them a little help and advice. So they don't get sick," says Long. "And that's probably where 5G comes in, because what we'll have are wearables that detect a whole host of different parameters, whether it's your blood pressure, your heart rate, your temperature, etc."
(Image credit: pexels)
Wearables could save your life
5G doesn't just mean faster data transfer. It also means that data transfer costs and the devices that use them will go down. With a stable 5G connection, enabled devices, whether it's health check trackers or phones, don't need to physically focus all of their processing power on something that still fits in your pocket. Instead, these devices will be able to offload heavier tasks to cloud-based servers, which will then process and return your data, just as today's IT companies rent connected supercomputers. In the cloud, instead of mortgaging the houses of their employees, they buy their own. “Since 5G data production costs are considerably lower, you can move it (easier) up and down,” Long says. "(But) 5G also gives you the ability to add features to the network, rather than having it on the device itself, which means the device itself can be a lot less complex. And therefore a lot cheaper." Once you have that on the net and you have the (public) APIs and SDKs, you'll have developers who can see different algorithms to implement using that data." "You'll see that (something that started like this) a blood pressure monitor generates data that can be used for other applications."
(Image credit: pexels) All this data analysis isn't going to replace your GP: Nobody wants the nightmare of a smartwatch constantly checking your heart rate against WebMD and you diagnosing multiple serious illnesses via on-screen alerts. These devices will serve as early warning systems. If your next-generation health tracking system detects a worrisome combination of warning signs, it may recommend that you get checked during your local surgery. Health professionals stay informed, but they may not be the first correspondents when patients feel overly tired or worried about aspects of their health that can be easily measured with devices, such as heart rate or blood pressure. . . More reliable 5G video appointments could also help elderly and hospital patients who currently require regular outpatient visits. "Many older people who have these chronic illnesses are not people who need to see a doctor, they just need someone who can check on them and see if they're okay or if they have something to do with them. They need," Long says. "That's the kind of thing that could be done remotely — one person doing the checks two or three times a day, they do it over videophone, so it's a little more personal than a phone or mail. e. So that person could then judge whether it is necessary to go around and see what happens."
(Image credit: Pexels) Wearable fitness technologies have been around for over 10 years, with what we called smartwatches five or six years ago. According to Long, specialized health monitoring in 5G could become commonplace much faster. "I guess you'll see that there are specific connected devices that are approved for medical use... within two to five years," she predicts. "It could be a blood pressure monitor or a diabetes monitor, that kind of thing. It'll probably come from your local GP or local health center and have a specific app." Or to fit your carrier's terms. Mobile – Yes, 5G will let you download HD TV episodes with the push of a button. You probably won't be able to see that many of them sitting in a doctor's waiting room. 5G Uncovered, in partnership with Samsung, gives you all the What you need to know about the next wave of connectivity, not just how fast it will be, but how much it will change your life Our 5G Uncovered hub is carefully organized to showcase everything there is to know about the next generation of connection.