Why Bluetooth is the first choice for medical institutions

In recent years, various Bluetooth innovations have been increasingly used in commercial fields such as retail, hotels, tourism and healthcare, thanks to the low power consumption characteristics of Bluetooth technology, its high global penetration rate, its signal transmission method and its ability to create large-scale device networks. Bluetooth has now become an important technology to enhance the experience of patients and medical staff.

All-round connectivity

From fitness trackers and smart watches to blood glucose monitors and pulse oximeters, Bluetooth wearables have taken over the connected device market. Amid the wave of wearable innovation, the market needs more and more monitoring devices that can support medical diagnosis and care. As a result, Bluetooth is increasingly being used to replace wired products in recovery rooms, operating rooms, and intensive care units (ICUs).

After several new extensions, Bluetooth technology has greatly improved security and signal range, and enhanced asset tracking and navigation capabilities, which has expanded the application of Bluetooth in medical institutions. For example, patients and visitors in large hospitals or medical campuses can easily find their way through Bluetooth, and medical staff can also quickly find the location of hospital assets such as important medical equipment, as well as patients who need emergency care.

Frequency Hopping

Medical organizations are often hesitant to add RF technology to an environment saturated with wireless signals, which may make them reluctant to use Bluetooth. If too many devices transmit on a heavily used channel, RF interference and distortion will occur. But Bluetooth uses adaptive frequency hopping (AFH) technology to minimize the impact in an environment full of wireless signals.

With adaptive frequency hopping technology, Bluetooth devices can detect which channels are in use and hop around them in order to reduce RF impedance, allowing the transmission of Bluetooth packets to be unaffected by the largest sources of interference, making Bluetooth an ideal addition to any wireless infrastructure.

Low power consumption

Since its adoption in 2010, Bluetooth Low Energy has helped optimize energy consumption in battery-powered devices used to transmit small amounts of data to local user interfaces such as tablets and smartphones. 

Many medical devices now use this technology to improve patient monitoring and care, such as blood glucose monitors, asthma inhalers, and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). Because Bluetooth low energy is highly energy efficient, such devices can run for years on a small button battery. Bluetooth low energy can also help medical institutions meet regulatory compliance requirements for environmental sensors and ward monitoring equipment.

Large device network

While commercial and industrial sectors increasingly require comprehensive and secure networks of wireless devices, healthcare environments also benefit from the increased security, reliability, and scalability of such facility-wide networks.

Bluetooth mesh networking can help create large-scale device networks and is ideal for control, monitoring and automation systems, enabling dozens, hundreds or thousands of devices to communicate with each other reliably and securely. Through Bluetooth mesh networking, medical staff can observe patient conditions in real time and speed up the response of emergency services, thereby helping medical institutions reduce costs, optimize patient care and improve operational efficiency.