Next Generation 5G Mobile Health Network for User Interfacing in Radiology Workflows

Abstract

5G is the next-generation mobile cellular network that offers significant advantages over other wireless network technologies, such as data throughput, latency, real-time multicasting, ad hoc peer-to-peer, and data encryption, to name a few. A critical sector for potentially disruptive 5G solutions is healthcare and its current IoMT infrastructure. This paper analyses the current pain points associated with the general radiology workflow for X-ray imaging in terms of user interfaces and network technologies. By understanding this workflow and the modern 5G technology standards, we have designed a system-level architecture for a private 5G network within a hospital that includes additional services over the core and a different architecture for telecommunication networks. In addition, we have designed a lower-level architecture for a 5G collimator interfacing use case, with a network protocol stack designed for use case realization. With these 5G architectures implemented, a new, novel radiology workflow, was visualized, with clear benefits arising from the 5G innovations highlighted. We also highlighted the resulting limitations of the current design and outlined the next development steps and hypothesized future visions.

Keywords

• 5G network
• healthcare telecommunication
• radiology challenges
• user interfacing
• workflows