Network Illustration

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Introduction

With the spread of the internet, hospitals have begun standardizing on Internet Protocol (IP) and shifting from more predictable protocols such as SNA. Notably, it has become possible for people in the hospital to use and operate on a single IP network since the systems have been more economical and convenient. Hospital operations have shifted to a paperless setting where all data in the health care is managed electronically. In order for information to flow in the health care facilities, there has to be a well-organized network system (Kapoor & Kleinbart, 2012). This paper aims at describing a network configuration for a hospital that contains more than 100 and fewer than 200 beds. Hospitals today conduct their business through the use of multiple integrated healthcare information networks. Conversely, a network cannot exist for each system. This means that the network has to be operated, constructed, and designed as a single common infrastructure.

Architecture

The main aim of the network design is to produce a high-speed Gigabit (1Gbps) network which is crucial for a health care. Apart from this, the network aims at decreasing network downtime caused by circuit error and device failure, enabling use a Wireless LAN in a hospital ward to permit nurses and doctors to access internal hospital information systems irrespective of their location, and lastly, allow network connection from every chamber in a hospital.

The network is designed to accommodate a maximum of eighty PCs. These PCs will be available for seven departments in the health care unit. The network will accommodate a maximum of ten medical examination devices which will be connected to a maximum of one hundred and fifty beds. Lastly, there will be a total of eight severs.

Below is a diagram showing the architecture of the network system

(Kapoor & Kleinbart, 2012)

Network scope

All the wired parts in the LAN from the desktop switches to the core switches are all secured by gigabit bandwidth (1 Gbps). Notably, a health care network such as the above network can be segmented by each section through the use of layer three switches, for instance, reception and accounting. This segmentation ensures that the health care data is kept compartmentalized properly (Ben-Assuli, 2014). The segmentation also ensures that data from other sections does not affect any specific area in the health care. Furthermore, by adding VLAN, the network configuration in the health care can be managed flexibly and easily in any case of any future growth of the healthcare Centre or even subdivision of the departments.

Issues related to the network design and use

In any hospital ward, a 24-hour response is very crucial for patients. As a result, nurses and doctors need to be in a position to wirelessly connect so as to update patient’s information and read patient’s charts. This configuration uses Power over Ethernet (PoE) enabled switches. These switches allow electronic power to be transferred to all the wireless access points in the hospital (Sayrafian-Pour & Yekeh Yazdandoost, 2012). This eradicates the need for power supply construction. Since each one system gadget supports SNMP, it is conceivable to remotely check singular gadget correspondence and condition utilizing system observing programming (SwimSuite). This way, regardless of the fact that failure happens, the issue point and correspondence levels can be outwardly affirmed, empowering early identification and snappy recuperation. Likewise, since correspondences ports can likewise be checked, unapproved associations are effectively detected. This means network observing functions are utilized viably for speedy recuperation, as well as additionally for security.

Continuous network operations inside any healthcare Centre can be ensured through the use of redundant core switches known as Virtual Chassis Stacking (VCS) (Kapoor & Kleinbart, 2012). With the availability of dual cable wiring between floors and core switches, or between important medical practice points and core switches, even if the cable breaks, communication can be maintained through the use of the remaining cables. Markedly, this network is advantageous since this path is very important in areas such as the reception, accounting, or examination rooms where electric chart system shutdown would be disastrous (Ben-Assuli, 2014). The other advantage of this network is that it does have enough capacity to support a large volume of data for the intended patients. The network is designed to handle a large volume of data for all patients present in the hospital.

Disadvantages

The disadvantages of this network system include theft or loss of the computer devices and presence of disgruntled employees. The laptop and computer devices that will be used in this system will contain valuable information, therefore, subject to loss and theft from both outside and inside the hospital. However, the greatest risk that this network faces is from the hospitals own employees. The employees may be involved in sabotage of the network that may include planting of logic bombs, destroying facilities and the hardware, deleting data, crushing systems, and changing data.

Conclusion

Hospital operations have shifted to a paperless setting where all data in the health care is managed electronically. In order for information to flow in the health care facilities, there has to be a well-organized network system. In the design of the network, a network such as the above network can be segmented by each section through the use of layer three switches, for instance, reception and accounting. This segmentation ensures that the health care data is kept compartmentalized properly and that hat data from other sections does not affect any specific area in the health care. However, the use of Power over Ethernet (PoE) enabled switches in the network allow electronic power to be transferred to all the wireless access points in the hospital.

References

Ben-Assuli, O. (2014). Electronic health records, adoption, quality of care, legal and privacyissues and their implementation in emergency departments. Health Policy. HYPERLINK “http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2014.11.014” t “doilink” doi:10.1016/j.healthpol.2014.11.014

Kapoor, B. and Kleinbart, M. (2012). Building an Integrated Patient Information System for aHealthcare Network. Journal of Cases on Information Technology, 14(2), pp.27-41.Doi: 10.4018/jcit.2012040103

Sayrafian-Pour, K., & Yekeh Yazdandoost, K. (2012). Wireless Technologies in Healthcare:Selected Papers from IEEE PIMRC 2011. International Journal of Wireless InformationNetworks, 19(3), 159-162. Doi:10.1007/s10776-012-0191-3