Wireless Challenges in the Healthcare Setting

Roughly one-third of U.S. hospitals use wireless technology. You've probably seen some Wi-Fi antennas as you've walked through hospitals. Healthcare IT News reports that a new study has identified these five major challenges of implementing a wireless network in the healthcare setting:

1. Physical connectivity (especially in old hospitals)
2. Technology connectivity issues
3. Meeting user demand
4. Security considerations (high risk of stolen laptops)
5. Network management issues

So, how are these unique to the healthcare setting? Maybe the issue with security is a bigger concern when you're dealing with patient health information. I wonder if WiMax technology will resolve some of these challenges. The study was sponsored by NetMotion Wireless.