PRTG is the right tool, when it comes to monitoring your medical systems and classic IT infrastructure: https://www.paessler.com/healthcare_it_monitoring
Modern hospitals are highly digitalized. Availability of patient data is at the core of this digitalization. Classic IT systems and medical IT must work together seamlessly and need centralized monitoring.
15 years ago, patients were shown a hardcopy of their X-Ray images, while today, images are sent directly to monitors on the wall, or to the physician’s tablet. In most cases, doctors want fast access to patient data.
This could be X-Ray, MRT or ultrasound images, laboratory or specialist results, the patient’s history, or details of the patient’s primary care physician. All this data is transported via the hospital’s system infrastructure:
HIS (Hospital Information System) – master data
LIMS (Laboratory Information System) – laboratory data
RIS (Radiology Information System – radiology data
Images generated from devices like X-Ray, MRT, ultrasound or video endoscopies are stored on the PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System).
Nowadays most hospitals have a central communication server connecting these systems together, so the doctor has access to all relevant patient information at any time.
Identify the right monitoring solution
Of course, also a monitoring solution for your classic and medical IT systems must comply with all standard requirements like:
Feature set, usability, price performance ratio, licensing, implementation efforts, technical support. Additionally, in this case you should also turn attention on the following aspects:
1. Classic IT infrastructure
All medical devices require a classic IT infrastructure for communication. This infrastructure looks after the data transfer and provides the hardware for the system network. Cables, switches, servers and storage systems are required, as well as WIFI and its access points.
2. Comprehensive IT monitoring
Only when classic IT can guarantee performance and security does it fulfill its purpose. The foundation of these medical devices and systems requires comprehensive IT monitoring. Availability of devices, data transfer and application performance must be kept under continuous observation. IT monitoring, or network monitoring, is not new. There are numerous solutions available. However, many solutions do not offer the possibility to integrate medical devices into the monitoring concept.
3. Data security
Security plays an important role. Hospital IT is no longer isolated; it is entwined with various institutions (health insurance companies, doctors, building technology, administration, etc.), placing extremely high expectations on firewalls, virus scanners and intrusion detection systems.
Monitor medical equipment and classic IT together in PRTG
With PRTG Network Monitor Paessler offers a centralized monitoring solution that is a perfect fit for monitoring medical equipment and IT
Customized dashboards
With PRTG you create maps in HTML format within minutes via drag & drop. PRTG brings two worlds together in one view: Classic IT and medical IT. Users can create customized dashboards with Drag & Drop to visualize all technology components in the hospital. The dashboard can be built to display malfunctions, interferences or outages as soon as they occur, and configured to inform, or alert, the responsible parties.
Monitor multiple Sites
Many hospitals have different sites. Using the free PRTG remote probes feature is a lean and easy way to monitor multiple sites with one installation/license of PRTG. Another flexible feature in PRTG is the REST Custom Sensor. It enables the administrator to easily integrate all devices offering a REST API into PRTG. That could be refrigerators, sensors for monitoring temperature, air quality or humidity, as well as systems for premises security.
PRTG alert system
The setup and functionality of data transmission, storage, analysis, and publishing in medical technology is the same as the classic IT network. PRTG users can define thresholds to warn them before an outage occurs. They decide how to receive such alerts: Via email, SMS, push notification, or otherwise. The notification feature provides huge value for those on call – they will immediately see where the issue lies, and if the issue has been acknowledged by the responsible party.
Healthcare sensors & data security
Within PRTG, the REST Custom Sensor and data protocols, DICOM and HL7, were extended to make centralized monitoring for the health sector even easier. Here you will find an overview of all PRTG eHealth sensors: https://www.paessler.com/manuals/prtg/available_sensor_types#ehealth
Patient data is managed and transferred via HL7. PRTG uses HL7 to ensure data is transferred securely and to monitor the machines involved. PRTG has no access to personal data. Only data type, volume, pathway and device state are monitored.
https://www.paessler.com/healthcare_it_monitoring