Application of and research on 5G mobile nursing stations in clinical settings

The nurses used a computerized hospital information system (HIS) for nursing documentation. Specifically, nurses measured the patient’s vital signs at the bedside or monitored the patient’s data, based on which they conducted a nursing assessment of the patient. Subsequently, they manually transcribed the vital signs data and assessment content. Finally, the participants returned to the nursing station to enter the information on the computer. Moreover, the nurses performed therapeutic nursing interventions. They employed conventional methods to verify treatment and patient information manually. This means that, to verify medication and patient information, nurses conducted three checks and seven verifications (the three checks include pre-operation, intra-operation, and post-operation checks; the seven verifications include checking the bed number, checking patient name, checking medication name, checking dosage, checking time, checking concentration, and checking administration route) before, during, and after the operation, in accordance with nursing operation protocols.

Using 5G mobile nursing stations, each patient admitted to the hospital received unique printed wristbands containing basic patient information and QR codes on both sides. Nurses used PDAs to scan the QR codes, instantly acquiring basic patient information [6]. Each treatment operation form was equipped with corresponding QR codes or barcodes. When executing the treatment procedures, nurses scanned the patient’s wristband and QR codes associated with the treatment operation. If the medical order was correct, the system automatically displayed a checkmark (√) next to the order. In the case of medication or patient identity discrepancies, the PDA interface immediately generated error alerts and audible reminders, preventing confusion of one patient with another and eliminating other errors. Building on the hospital’s existing basic information platforms, 5G mobile nursing stations integrate various modern communication technologies, including 5G wireless networks, PDAs, patient wristbands, and QR codes into clinical nursing practices. The primary nurse carried the dedicated line PDA of the 5G mobile nursing station and input data with the PDA at the bedside immediately after measuring vital signs and assessing the patients. The PDA data were instantly synchronized and updated using the personal computer (PC)-side data of the mobile nursing station [7].

When using 5G mobile nursing stations, nurses achieved faster efficiency in verifying medical orders for IV infusions and oral medicine dispensing. Nurse efficiency in verifying IV infusions and oral medications between two groups (Table 1).

When using 5G mobile nursing stations, nurses achieved faster inputting of vital signs and completing nursing documentation. Comparison of nurse efficiency in recording vital signs and completing documentation between the two groups is shown in Table 2.

The clinical application of 5G mobile nursing stations reduces the time taken by nurses to input vital signs and complete nursing documentation, thereby enhancing nursing efficiency. Traditional nursing documentation requires manual transcription and repetitive entries. This adds to nurses’ workload and reduces their work efficiency. 5G mobile nursing stations simplify the workflow, enabling nurses to input data on-site upon obtaining vital signs, thereby allowing them to avoid data transcription and redundant data entry. Nurses can also provide onsite nursing documentation. Documents can be entered while nurses are observing and communicating with patients. Each saved document is promptly transmitted to the PC terminal for rapid and convenient processing. This further optimizes nursing processes, reduces nurses’ labor intensity during transcription, and improves the efficiency and quality of nursing documentation [10]. (1) In terms of recording admission assessments, formulating nursing plans, organizing discharge records, and writing handover records, 5G mobile nursing stations have brought major changes to the information-based nursing application mode and process of hospitals. They have promoted the standardization and simplification of nursing processes, reduced the labor intensity of nurses, and enhanced the efficiency and quality of nursing documentation. (2) The 5G mobile nursing stations enable nurses to input patient vital signs and complete patient admission assessments and health education at the bedside. This reduces nurses’ repetitive labor and improves their work efficiency. (3) Information sharing is a key feature of 5G mobile nursing stations. By interacting with various hospital information systems such as HIS, clinical information systems (CIS), nursing information systems (NIS), laboratory information systems (LIS), and radiology information systems (RIS), 5G mobile nursing stations enable nursing staff to collect, query, verify, and input medical orders or patient information anytime and anywhere, ensure that data entered into a system from one location can be accessed from multiple locations, and provide timely feedback on patient information to physicians. (4) The 5G mobile nursing stations extend HIS data resources to bedside nursing terminals, eliminating the need for traditionally printed treatment and recording sheets. Bedside work terminals are paperless, wireless, and convenient. Consequently, nurses spend less time performing repetitive and inefficient tasks. This facilitates the realization of “Nurses have more time to care for patients” (5) The primary nurse can assess patients using evaluation systems, such as the modified early warning score (MEWS) system. When the corresponding alert values are reached, feedback is sent directly to the physician’s PC terminal. Nurses can also promptly receive medical order notifications via PDAs, reminding the primary nurse to execute the orders promptly. This ensures the timely treatment of patients and guarantees patient safety [11].

Traditionally, medical orders are executed after being checked and signed by nurses. It is often difficult to trace these orders because of their lengthy execution times. 5G mobile nursing stations support intelligent identity recognition, precise verification, and the closed-loop management of order execution. The entire medical order execution process is traceable via 5G mobile nursing stations, thus ensuring the safety of the quality of care [12]. (1) 5G mobile nursing stations, which includes IV infusion orders, pharmacy IV admixture services (PIVAS) for medicine dispensing and transfusion, oral medicine administration, medical order verification, blood transfusion execution, nursing order execution, and prompts and statistics [13]. Nurses scan the patient’s wristbands and treatment execution forms before, during, and after treatment. Precise time records are generated after each operation, the corresponding overtime reminders are made available, and workload statistics are gathered [14]. In addition, the intercepted information is reported for summary and display, thereby enabling the summarization of hidden nursing risks. (2) 5G mobile nursing stations improve patient transfer during surgery. For surgical patients, the PDA and PC terminal displays are synchronized. Patients are scanned for verification when leaving the ward, and upon arrival in the operating room, The operating room nurse scans the patient before they are sent to the operating room. After surgery, depending on the outcomes, scanning is performed before transferring patients to the recovery room. Stable, conscious patients are safely returned to the ward after scanning. The entire patient transfer process has become safer [15]. (3) 5G mobile nursing stations can promote health education. Departments establish specialized health education knowledge bases so that nurses can conduct bedside education tailored to patients with different diseases [16]. 5G mobile nursing stations facilitate comprehensive closed-loop management of medical order execution. They also offer task reminders based on nurses’ adherence to medical orders, thereby optimizing nursing workflows. Furthermore, 5G mobile nursing stations support intelligent identity recognition, which enables precise verification. At the same time, they achieve closed-loop management of medical order execution, making the entire process traceable and ensuring nursing safety. (4) 5G mobile nursing stations help optimize nursing processes and improve work efficiency. The smart medical order tracking system categorizes orders, allowing bedside reading, querying, verification, and execution, thus enhancing nursing efficiency.

The above research results indicate that 5G mobile nursing stations have clear advantages in clinical applications. However, they also have certain limitations. For instance, the limited screen size of PDAs makes it difficult for older nursing personnel to view the information. Moreover, PDAs cannot visually display tables and unlike smartphones, they lack the capability to freely zoom in and out of the displayed content. They also lack the intuitive interface of computers, requiring nursing staff to adapt to their specific interface and usage. To solve these issues, software management personnel must further improve the PDA system so that PDAs can fully leverage their strengths and better serve healthcare professionals, ultimately benefiting patients.

The duration of this study was relatively short, and further research is required to obtain more rigorous conclusions. The adaptability of the system to complex medication scenarios, the acceptance of new technologies by nurses, and the demand of patients for information transparency are the key factors affecting the system efficacy. In order to ensure the continuous optimization of the system, these factors need to be fully taken into account in the design, such as the introduction of artificial intelligence to assist decision, improve the ability of the system to deal with complex situations, and conduct continuous technical training to improve the technical literacy of nurses. Long-term use of equipment consumption requires regular assessment of the accuracy and reliability of the obtained data to ensure patient safety and information effectiveness.