Morbidity is an increasing public health concern in the world, and hospitals are depending on technology intelligence from real-time healthcare applications and devices to improve hospital workflows, safety and costings. At HIMSS AsiaPac15 held in Singapore, Mr Bob Zemke, Director of Healthcare Solutions at Extreme Networks shared with APBN the overview of Purview; a network-based analytics solution that allows you to optimize application service delivery as well as improving overall visibility by providing IT with intelligent insights. Extreme Networks’ Purview is currently used in hospitals, and it may find itself a niche in the supply chain of biopharma industries.

Wi-Fi in healthcare has helped to speed up the processing of information, from patients’ records and post-operation medical care. Internet connectivity has become as necessary as oxygen. Devices and workstations on wheels, barcode scanners, IV infusion pumps, phones, notebook, must be connected to a network to facilitate real-time clinical care in hospitals.

“We have observed a 100% growth of device-use in hospitals. We are able to retrieve network information from 3G networks,” said Zemke.

Purview monitors the network traffic, and users are able to process descriptive reports for the management to be informed on the major usage of resources. “The management will then be able to decide on whether more resources have to be placed in a specific department to ease the hospital workflow.”

The internet growth of information and processing reliable information require an increase in demand for automation to ensure a reduction in man-made errors. In the next five years, Extreme Networks shall have tighter integration of mobile and device applications in the hospitals. It will continue to support initiatives in the informatics industries related to healthcare and biopharma.

Visibility into the usage of medical devices and facilities provides better communications and precise locations of activities to optimizing clinical care. The network analytics feeds the IT personnel and management with the information to understand the performance of new systems or devices, regardless of whether it is hosted onsite or in the cloud. These reports will also show to be an important tool during the audit process.

About the interviewee

Bob Zemke is the Director of Healthcare Solutions for Extreme Networks, responsible for healthcare solutions strategy and consulting. He is an active member of the Wi-Fi Alliance Healthcare Task Group and the AAMI Wireless Strategy Task Forces and is also involved with prominent organizations such as HIMSS and IEEE. Additionally, Bob is a co-author of the book entitled "Wi-Fi Enabled Healthcare," about the importance of Wi-Fi in transforming clinical work flows and enhancing mobile devices in a hospital environment. A seasoned IT professional with a broad range of experience in healthcare, Bob has been featured in publications such as Modern Healthcare, Healthcare Design Magazine, Mobile Wireless Magazine and Healthcare Executive Exchange. Bob obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Telecommunications Management from Western Michigan University and Master of Science in Telecommunications & Network Management from Syracuse University's iSchool.