Now is the time to make sure your network is ready for a hybrid world where the workplace is anywhere, endpoints could be anything, and applications are hosted all over the place. Extending the power of the secure network as close to the edge as possible helps you to better respond to the unexpected… transforming the challenges of hybrid work into opportunities for innovation. Introducing Cisco® Catalyst® 9200CX compact switchesAs part of the Catalyst 9000 family, these highly anticipated compact switches bring IOS® XE and enterprise-class access down to the very edge with an extra level of security, and the features required to handle our ever-changing world of hybrid work. The new compact Catalyst 9200CX models are optimized for flexibility and security and are ideal for
The smaller footprint and quiet, fan-less design means Catalyst 9200CX compact switches can go in places other switches cannot, like on or under a desk, mounted on the wall or ceiling, or in a closet, hospital room, or classroom. But at the same time, they offer many advanced features that are firsts for a compact switch:
And to top it off, they’re also IPsec, AVB/PTP, and BGP EVPN hardware ready. The Catalyst 9200CX is designed to allow you to secure your network from the inside out, applying continuous zero-trust security anywhere you need it, and often extending your network to places it has never been before. Whether in the board room or the bedroom, at the checkout counter, or the check-in desk, don’t box in your network to a traditional workspace or workplace; embrace the future of hybrid work with Catalyst 9200CX compact switches. ”We are excited about the new Catalyst 9200CX compact switch, which suits our needs in our Fiber to the Edge deployment at our new hospital, with advanced features such as VxLAN, VRFs and BGP.” Michael Valeur, Business Development Manager, Infrastructure, University Hospital, Region South, Denmark
Additional Resources: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/switches/catalyst-9200-series-switches/index.html from https://ift.tt/VYJQoNt Check out http://felpec.wordpress.com
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As part of the Digital Innovation Hub at La Trobe University, Cisco’s Innovation Central Melbourne set out to define digital literacy for healthcare. With this initiative, Cisco and La Trobe University examined how the healthcare workforce can become more digitally driven, with data and technology creating valuable insights, enhanced clinical efficiencies and knowledge-flow-to-value for patients. Digital literacy is using technology and tools to lead to more efficient use of staff, better care coordination, improved patient experience and better enterprise performance against key performance indicators (KPIs), such as: bed turnover rate, average length of stay, occupancy rate, and patient satisfaction. The big picture is not just about technology. Digital culture is also focused on social and cultural issues, communication, and collaboration. The Potential of Digital Culture in Healthcare This figure shows a bespoke group of knowledge domains needed to establish a digital culture and create patient value from data and insights. Taken as a holistic approach, the combination of knowledge domains, key technologies, and core learning objectives add up to a requirement for hands-on learning, and digital and data literacy. Adjustments to learning content for different levels of workers and leadership would allow this map to be applied across any organization, at any level, and for executives to learn-by-doing along with their workforce. Implementing a Digital Culture Within Your Workforce Through this initiative, one consistent theme we recognized is that implementing services for digital devices and data can be a challenge for healthcare organizations. For healthcare organizations looking at driving a digital culture in the workplace, one of the most costly and dynamic challenges is the management of people and their devices. Here are five things to consider when optimizing operations with a focus on digital:
To create a true digital culture within your healthcare workforce, you need to consider how to:
At Cisco’s Innovation Central Melbourne, we have programs like MasterTech, where leaders collaborate to create and pilot technology solutions to take back to their workplaces. We welcome the opportunity to partner with your healthcare organization to help you drive a culture of digital literacy. To learn more about Cisco’s Innovation Central Melbourne and how we can best support you, please contact me directly ([email protected]). Cisco’s Innovation Central Melbourne is part of the National Industry Innovation Network. from https://ift.tt/oa5rGfZ Check out http://felpec.wordpress.com The future of healthcare is being driven by innovation and digital transformation, with a heightened focus on open-standards interoperability and distributed ecosystems. While the acceleration of digital technologies, IoT, the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) and medical device utilization has been beneficial in driving more informed care delivery and greater access to care, the introduction of more devices on the network creates increased risk across the threat landscape. Keeping up with cybersecurity threats has always been a challenge, but today the speed at which new threats are introduced is astounding. When it comes to security in healthcare, it’s clear that uncertainty has become the new normal. Many organizations are not sure how to identify and manage digital risks in the ever-changing threat landscape, and their current risk management strategies just can’t keep up. We encourage you to explore our new thought leadership paper titled “Cybersecurity threats are top of mind for healthcare CIOs and CISOs,” where we explore:
from https://ift.tt/7omC6WA Check out http://felpec.wordpress.com After welcoming a new baby, the last thing that a parent wants to do is to leave the baby in the care of someone else. But that’s often the situation for parents and families of newborns in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Due to the nature of care and the NICU environment, parents and family members cannot always be with the baby 24/7. They may even miss critical milestones or updates if they need to step away from the NICU for work, to care for other children or even to get some much-needed rest. Today at IWK Health in Halifax, Canada, that’s not the case. IWK’s Chez NICU Home program provides families with online education, resources, and virtual connections to help them become more active participants in the care of their baby while in the NICU. Chez NICU Home includes a web-delivered application created by the IWK that provides evidence-based education and resources for families with the ability to track their infant’s progress. From daily care activities, feeding and nursing, to the discharge process and understanding common NICU conditions, Chez NICU Home provides families with the information they need at anytime, anywhere. 97% of families that participated in the Chez NICU Home application agreed that the resources were extremely beneficial during an otherwise stressful time. Each NICU room is also equipped with a high-quality Webex video device and collaboration technology that connects families to appointments with healthcare providers and local health professionals, or to family members who are unable to be there in person. For example, if spouses need to care for other children out of town, they can virtually participate in clinical rounds via Webex to get the latest update on the baby’s progress. Leveraging Cisco technology to provide critical support and virtual connections has helped more than 450 families thrive during their stay in the NICU at IWK Health. Chez NICU Home was a collaboration across IWK Health that included Innovation Services, a team of researchers, clinicians, and IT, in partnership with Cisco Canada and OnX. It was developed with support and financial contribution from the Government of Canada through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and the IWK Foundation. from https://ift.tt/xsfycUG Check out http://felpec.wordpress.com This post is authored by guest contributor Professor Vishaal Kishore, the Executive Chair of the Cisco-RMIT Health Transformation Lab The recent report of the Australian Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety tells us two critical things. First – something systemic is going on in aged care: the elements of the system are not working together to produce optimal outcomes. Second – the issue is one of respect: our system is not treating individuals the way that they ought to be treated. Our challenge is to find a way to make the Australian aged care system simultaneously more connected, and more compassionate. And this is where technology has a crucial role to play – but the role is a complex one. Done right, technology can be core to making our system more respectful. Done poorly, technology can merely contribute to making a disrespectful system more efficient at being disrespectful. At the Health Transformation Lab, we – along with Cisco – set out to explore the profound role that technology can play in reorienting our aged care systems around connection and respect. But those of us who work in innovation in the care economy know that words are not enough – so we set out not just to write about why technology can transform aged care, but also to demonstrate how. The end result is something of which we all are deeply proud – in a few short months RMIT and Cisco had been able to demonstrate how technology could be used to improve the experience of people in aged care and also free up much needed time for staff to focus on their core role: delivering care. Perhaps most excitingly, these technologies all exist right now – our task is just to arrange them and deploy them in new and exciting ways. In the coming months, the Health Transformation Lab is looking to work with industry partners, providers and others interested in doing something meaningful to improve the lives of people receiving aged care services in a multitude of settings. Based on our initial demonstrations I am confident that government and the sector broadly will start to understand that technology is not something to be balanced against ‘human-to-human’ care, but rather the very thing that enables it. To learn more about how the collaboration with Cisco combines research and technology to address key recommendations, read our report on Transforming Aged Care. from https://ift.tt/a4Uiest Check out http://felpec.wordpress.com Today’s healthcare environment looks very different than it did just a few years ago. Healthcare is no longer delivered exclusively inside the four walls of a care setting, which enables better access for patients and a more efficient experience for clinicians and administrative staff. Technology can be used to more easily schedule and triage patients, collaborate amongst clinicians and care providers both onsite and off, and follow up virtually with care at home. A flexible work environment allows often stressed and burnt-out clinicians to take much-needed physical and mental breaks, which is critically important in a field that is losing talent and already has a global shortage of skilled healthcare workers (the United States is projecting a shortfall of 124,000 skilled healthcare workers in the next twelve years). Recently, we commissioned IDC to explore workplace transformation in healthcare and the ways that healthcare organizations are taking a digital-first approach to care delivery. The result is a new Industry Spotlight paper titled, “Workplace Transformation in Healthcare: The Time is Now.” The spotlight uncovered some interesting statistics about the benefits healthcare providers reported after implementing a more flexible work model. When asked in IDC’s Hybrid Work Maturity Study what percentage improvement their organization experienced in 2021 because of investments in work transformation, healthcare providers reported having achieved a marked improvement in employee experience (30%), expanding the talent pool beyond existing geographical constraints (28%), attracting top talent (29%), and better employee retention (29%). Out of necessity, hybrid work was adopted during the pandemic across all industries. And while healthcare has reverted to a more traditional care setting, elements of a hybrid model still exist because patients and providers demand it. What we’re starting to see now is the next wave of innovation in healthcare. One that moves beyond virtual care, digital front door and clinical communications to address the healthcare facilities themselves. While the technology we’ve adopted in the past few years that enables better communication and virtual care is still critical, healthcare organizations are now also investing in smart and sustainable hospital facilities to address Environmental, Social and Governance goals (ESG) and differentiate amongst competition. With smart and sustainable hospital facilities, healthcare organizations can reduce energy consumption, water usage and waste, enable greater automation and security for systems across the facility, and address the future of work with smart, intuitive, and flexible spaces. Ready to learn more about workplace transformation in healthcare and the numerous benefits to healthcare staff and their patients? We encourage you to read IDC’s spotlight on the future of workplace transformation in healthcare (Doc #US49224922, June 2022), and join the conversation by sharing your thoughts in the comments below. from https://ift.tt/ac7ErTn Check out http://felpec.wordpress.com Virtual care comes in many forms and the term covers a multitude of use cases and workflows. We find that providers can deliver better remote care, at lower cost, when they standardize on a virtual care platform with the ability to support all core use cases. At Cisco, we’ve taken a full-stack platform approach that leverages the power of our Webex service, together with software and hardware deployed across the cloud and the premise, to deliver the best possible end-user experience and scale across the many use cases of virtual care. So, what are some of the use cases for virtual care and how can technology drive adoption and scale? Reducing the need for meetingsWith asynchronous video, we give administrators and clinicians the ability to easily record and publish short video messages to a group of stakeholders. Video makes the message more personal than a simple email, is available for consumption at the recipient’s convenience and reduces the need for yet another meeting. Facilitating effective hybrid meetings and trainingFor team meetings or training sessions, the new Webex service has been re-designed to drive engagement and inclusivity. We want every meeting participant to contribute their ideas to the team. The right video device in each workspace simplifies the meeting experience for clinicians and administrators and allows groups of people in the hospital to be together in a physical meeting space while still connecting and collaborating with remote team members. Managing community outreachWebex Events is designed to provide end-to-end management of larger scale events. For example, community engagement or fundraising. By supporting all the different work streams that are needed to pull off a successful large-scale event, Webex Events can be fully virtual, physical or a mix of both. World-class remote patient consultsFor telehealth consultations, our team of healthcare experts have purpose-built Webex Instant Connect. This sits on top of the Webex platform and delivers on four key elements to virtual care at scale: Integration in clinician workflow through Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems, easy access for all patients, security and being manageable at scale. To learn more about how to specifically drive telehealth adoption within your healthcare organization, we recommend reading one of our past blog posts on the subject. This capability is also helping drive healthcare equity in rural areas of the country. Exam rooms are equipped with fit-for-purpose video devices. The healthcare system schedules a consult for the remote patient with a clinician who is physically in one of their larger hospitals. The clinician uses Webex Instant Connect to schedule and start the virtual session. The medical assistant uses the video device in the remote clinic to bring the patient and doctor together over the virtual call. The quality of that call is high because the institution controls network bandwidth in the clinic and the video device is built around state-of-the-art components. Interdisciplinary collaborationCollaboration amongst clinicians and specialists is critical for quality and effective patient care. Currently, we work with healthcare organizations who are using Cisco’s hardware and software together to run tumor boards where specialists from across the country are brought together to collaborate on a patient’s care. We can pull up to four separate feeds into this multi-content solution, with one or two of those feeds usually coming from existing Picture Archiving and Communications Systems (PACS). Virtual roundingIn the case of virtual rounding, we are working with hospitals to add our secure video systems to the existing TVs in the patient rooms. Then, via the EHR, clinicians are presented with a list of patients to round on virtually. When the call button is pressed by the clinician to round on a patient, the Webex platform makes a call to the video device in that patient’s room, and the doctor is placed into a high-quality video consult with the patient. We employ a “knock before entering” analog to protect patient privacy. Family engagementThe same setup can help the patient stay in contact with their family members. The experience for the patient goes something like this: patient brings up an app on their room TV and they enter the smart phone numbers of the family members they want to contact. Our service sends an SMS text message containing a secure Webex Instant Connect link to the family members. The family members click the link, their browser opens, and they are placed in a high-quality video call with their loved one. No logins or passwords required. Remote proctoringProviders can also use Cisco technology to allow a remote surgeon to proctor another surgeon in an Operating Room through a procedure. We can also facilitate access to care in remote parts of the world using the same technology. Here’s an interesting example of how the technology is supporting care at home in remote parts of Norway. Medical education using 3D virtual technologyWhat does the future bring for Webex technology? Soon, you’ll see Cisco bring innovative 3D experiences to the platform through Webex Hologram. We’ll provide a capture device that allows a presenter to work with a physical object such that remote participants wearing a 3D headset feel as if they are physically present with that object and the presenter. This technology will minimize the barrier of location for medical students or continuing education and training for healthcare professionals. As you can see, there are so many ways to utilize technology to scale virtual care within your healthcare organization. Our goal is to help healthcare organizations deploy virtual care solutions that make a significant contribution to the goals described by the quintuple aim of improving patient experience, providing better outcomes for patients, lower costs, improving clinician well-being and health equity. Cisco has and continues to make significant investments in our healthcare practice, including a dedicated healthcare services capability that drives successful technology implementation and adoption. We are experts in secure, high-quality digital communications and we’ve leveraged that expertise to support the workflow demands of healthcare – specifically virtual care – at scale. from https://ift.tt/Zyxithz Check out http://felpec.wordpress.com Health equity is defined as the ability to fulfill our human potential in all aspects of health and well-being. It goes beyond access to care. Health equity encompasses clinical, mental, social, emotional, physical, and spiritual health, and is influenced by social, economic, and environmental factors.1 Healthcare organizations have a critical role to play in health equity, as they are not only responsible for delivering care, but can also be advocates for change within the clinician community and the populations in which they serve. Studies estimate social, economic, and environmental “drivers of health” (also known as social determinants of health) can account for up to 80% of health outcomes, whether positive or negative.2 Discrimination and bias can often cause these drivers to be negative, making it difficult for historically marginalized and low-income groups, or for those with disabilities, to achieve overall well-being. While poverty and lack of access have long been barriers to health equity around the world, the pandemic has only exacerbated the problem and highlighted the true depth of inequity. Studies have shown that COVID-19 disproportionately impacts historically marginalized and low-income groups. This has led to poorer health overall than in other parts of the population. COVID-19 also negatively impacts those with disabilities, pre-existing health conditions, and diseases, by limiting community-based and at-home care opportunities and suicide prevention support.3 Health equity is one of the greatest challenges of our time, and it’s of critical importance that healthcare organizations, governments, and the greater healthcare ecosystem come together to innovate, collaborate, and drive meaningful change, together. No one person or organization can solve for health inequity alone. It is our collective responsibility to work toward systemic change. In partnership with their communities and trusted digital health technology partners, healthcare providers can move the needle on an equitable healthcare future for all. Digital healthcare initiatives around the following elements of care equity are at the core of creating an equitable delivery model:
But where should healthcare organizations begin? Which workflows should be prioritized? First, they must aggregate and analyze data to understand the state of health equity within the community they serve. Once they have a deep understanding of the current state, they can begin to map a plan, with technology being used as a critical tool to drive equity initiatives. Organizations must also seek commitment for change from their entire workforce – from the highest levels of leadership to those in direct contact with patients. One foundational component that healthcare organizations must also consider is the baseline of connectivity within their communities. For technology to effectively drive equitable access to care and ultimately health equity, we must increase connectivity to the internet and educate on basic digital literacy. Globally, 37% of the world population (2.9 billion) remain unconnected.4 Access to technology has greatly increased globally in the past decades, but progress has not been even. Only when people have equal access to connectivity can we fully utilize technology to engage communities and power better health outcomes. Once connected, digital front door technologies can help expand health education and put information in the hands of patients faster. Proactive patient engagement should be in the patient’s channel of preference (be it voice, video, or text), leading to better engagement and more inclusive care delivery. Collaboration technologies like Webex Instant Connect can bring care to remote and underserved populations by removing the barrier of location. Real-time translation services can make these virtual consultations more accessible. EHR-integrated collaboration tools capture data on lifestyle, drivers of health, and clinical information that can be searched and proactively acted upon, thereby improving engagement, frequency, and treatment adherence. When paired with wearables like RealWear, Webex Expert on Demand can bring critical training and knowledge share to remote locations where surgeries or specialists were not previously available. For those living with developmental disabilities, technology like remote monitoring, smart notifications, alert services, and smart device integration will provide in-home support and allow for autonomous living. Now is the time for us to come together as a global society to solve for the systemic inequity that exists within our healthcare systems. We need to drive progress and innovate to further positive health outcomes, equally. Sources:
from https://ift.tt/UJB7prm Check out http://felpec.wordpress.com This post is co-authored by Declan Hadley Would Florence Nightingale have embraced virtual care? The answer would probably be yes, as she was a technological innovator in every sense – driving cleanliness in hospitals, promoting healthy eating to improve healing, and using data to reduce infection rates. Yet, today in healthcare, we see a slower rate of technology adoption in comparison to other industries, despite a rich history of clinical innovation.1 Assessing the gap can be challenging and many healthcare organizations are tempted to look to peers for a comparison. However, it’s virtual care providers and tech companies they should be baselining themselves against.2 The factors influencing the adoption of technology in healthcare are multifaceted. So, how can healthcare organizations pick up the pace to meet their patient’s expectations? Broadly, the reasons for slow digital adoption fall into three categories – strategy, workforce and risk. Strategy Any organization embarking on their digital journey needs to have a plan in place. Ideally, that plan is co-created with the workforce and wider stakeholders to create a sense of ownership or common purpose.3 Successful digital transformation is elusive in all industries, not just healthcare. In fact, a study by BCG shows that only 30% of digital adoption projects achieve their target outcomes. Not having an enterprise digital transformation strategy embedded into the overall business objectives leads to competing priorities, unclear measures of success, and difficulty in securing funding. This bifurcated approach results in disillusioned staff and stalled projects. Workforce Across the world, healthcare providers struggle to recruit and retain healthcare professionals.4 Successful organizations will be those who think creatively about the working environment, including how technology is used.5 Within any clinical team, there will be people who think differently about technology. A small minority will embrace the changes and evangelize, others will be skeptical, and a few will mourn the loss of the current way of working. To effectively implement and sustain digital transformation, healthcare organizations need to ensure their workforce feels both confident and competent in using digital solutions. They need to engage at all levels, seeking out their digital pioneers to build up the case for change. They must ensure people are supported along the way, offer adequate training, and most importantly, give time to accommodate any new working practices. Healthcare providers who successfully scale up will be those who treat digital adoption as an organizational-wide change program, led from the top.6 Risk Expanding your digital service offering creates new opportunities, but it also introduces new risks. Increasing sophistication of ransomware attacks, a shortage of IT staff, and lack of visibility into how technology is used, all represent tangible threats to organizations. These factors lead to a situation where healthcare providers can only embrace new technology through pilots, with few successfully moving to full scale adoption.7 Many also underestimate the true costs involved, failing to account for the investments needed in workforce training, workflow redesign, legacy systems integration, and resilient IT infrastructure, thereby introducing undue financial risk. Healthcare systems are well versed in change, but accelerating digital adoption at scale has proven elusive, both within organizations and at a country level.8 However, all agree that digital transformation is crucial to remaining competitive. To scale effectively and at pace, healthcare leaders must start with a clear business strategy, encompassing discrete and measurable outcomes that have been co-created with relevant stakeholders. Once defined, they must enact their roadmap with a broad focus on people, process, and technology to ensure they are ready for change. System leaders need to ensure their staff feel confident and competent in using digital solutions. In doing so, they need to make sure the underlying infrastructure is secure, integrated, and ready to meet the new demands placed upon it. Sources:
from https://ift.tt/vb6noFh Check out http://felpec.wordpress.com Two years into the pandemic, governments worldwide have started to relax their social distancing policies. However, healthcare systems continue to be severely impacted by ongoing infections and a growing backlog of patients waiting for planned treatments. While vaccines have been extremely successful in reducing hospitalization and mortality rates, infection control policies continue to affect our hospitals’ regular operations. In many respects, COVID-19 created a perfect storm. It came at a time when many healthcare systems were already severely stressed, dealing with an increasing burden of disease within aging populations, and chronic staff shortages. The pandemic suspended most non-urgent, elective procedures and ambulatory care; consequently, the care backlog increased. In England alone, 6 million people were waiting for treatment at the end of December 2021. It’s estimated that 8 million people have undiagnosed conditions, and these are the people who stayed away from their healthcare providers for fear of catching COVID-19.1 The situation is similar across Europe and North America, with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reporting significant numbers of people with long-term conditions missing essential aspects of their care.2 They say, “necessity is the mother of innovation,” which was clearly the case during the pandemic. Rapid development of vaccines, novel use of medicines to treat infected patients, and monumental acceleration of virtual care paint a picture of innovation. Post-pandemic, some commentators are suggesting this innovation should continue with the recovery, giving countries a unique opportunity to change things for the better, addressing health inequalities, and increasing sustainability.3 From a technology perspective, healthcare providers can utilize the lessons learned throughout the pandemic. They can implement new ways to accelerate the flow of patients from their backlog into treatment and then onto a swift discharge and rehabilitation. At each stage of this journey, keeping in regular contact with the patient will be critical to the success of the entire process. In many ways, the operational complexity of managing backlogs, clinical capacity, and staff schedules echoes the complexity and interdependencies of the underlying technical infrastructure. Keeping patients quickly flowing through the system requires each cog in that system to work flawlessly, at all times. Adopting a cross-architectural view of their IT infrastructure and a platform approach will enable healthcare providers to accelerate their digital capabilities, automate patient outreach through technology and self-service, and increase the flow of patients through the care continuum.4 From a patient’s perspective, healthcare providers should be deploying digital solutions that can:
Ultimately, the number of patients waiting for treatment will normalize when care teams have the capacity to treat them. While automated processes and artificial intelligence augment the skills of a healthcare professional, they will never replace the human touch. To address the workforce challenges, healthcare providers will need to reimagine clinical operations and adopt technology-driven processes that increase efficiency. This will lessen the burden on clinical staff and keep people within the healthcare profession. Rapid innovation was commonplace at the height of the pandemic, with virtual care becoming the norm. Although the direct impact of the pandemic on society is now waning, there are more people waiting for treatment now than ever before. To address this backlog, healthcare providers must continue innovating, expanding their digital offers by investing in their underlying technical infrastructure, adopting a cross architectural approach, and ensuring that their digital solutions provide a frictionless experience to patients and staff. Sources:
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