Application of Advanced 5g Mobile Network Technology to a Nationwide Clinical Data Collection System in Japan

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Telecommunications
• Clinical Research Infrastructure

Background:

• Online clinical information collection is vital for research and surveillance.
• Current Japanese regulations and high network costs hinder direct electronic health record data capture.
• Reducing network construction expenses is essential for a nationwide system.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of 5G mobile networks for clinical data collection infrastructure.
• To assess the security implications of using 5G for electronic health record access.

Main Methods:

• Compared network construction costs of wired connections versus 5G mobile technology.
• Assessed network security against unauthorized external access.

Main Results:

• 5G mobile communication technology substantially reduced network construction costs.
• No significant security issues were found; external access to the VPN was impossible.

Conclusions:

• The findings support the deployment of online clinical information systems across multiple facilities.
• Adoption of 5G-based real-time data collection can accelerate clinical research and surveillance.