Partners of the Wilho project started an initial survey in November 2003 to study the possibilities of a wireless hospital pilot project in the Oulu region. The goal of the project was to determine the possibilities of the Oulu region to conceive a concept of a wireless hospital that can be built into a pilot environment situated in the Oulu region, where it can be tested and produced with regards to an international business concept.

The next phase was to plan a strategy for wireless hospital technology development. The Wilho strategy was executed in autumn 2004 as a Wilho program aimed at implementing the planned concept of a wireless hospital. The goal is to generate new commercial activity in the Oulu region, which would commercialize the Wilho concept for the international market.

The Wilho concept can be divided into three parts: wireless network, wireless applications, and integration, which combines the first two.

The heart of the concept of a wireless hospital is the wireless network itself (Wireless Hospital Area Network (WHAN®) with open interfaces), which can be connected to data systems as well as the various applications of the hospital processes. In the direction of data systems, the wireless network can be seen through standardized data transmission protocols, and in the direction of the applications with a standardized RF interface.

Both a traditional LAN as well as WLAN network come into the hospital. The WLAN base stations connect wireless devices to the LAN network. Room-specific base stations can be based on UWB technology and they link measuring and location data elsewhere on the data network. In tracking and data transmission, either WLAN or UWB technology is used depending on the application and its requirements.

Wirelessness creates new opportunities for hospitals to operate flexibly in the different phases and subprocesses of their processes. The minimization of cabling is made possible through wireless solutions particularly in new buildings and buildings being renovated. The wireless network will not eliminate the traditional LAN network solution, but by using a wireless network it will be possible to optimize the total network solution in terms of investments and flexibility of use.

Of the newest technologies, Ultra Wideband, or UWB technology, uses a frequency range of 3.1-10.6 GHz at low power levels. This technology enables data transfer of up to 600 Mb/s and a small coverage area.

The commissioning of UWB technology has already been approved in the USA, and similar regulatory work is on nearly complete in Europe. Standardization work is also being carried out globally. UWB systems are a truly hot area of research worldwide. UWB technology was originally based on simple impulse radio, in which a rather large frequency range at a low level of energy and with low cost was used.

UWB can be used when replacing cables with wireless links, for applications requiring precise localization and in intelligent sensory networks. The wireless hospital concept is a special area of UWB application studied in CWC.

A Wireless Local Area Network, WLAN, is a network connection technology that is rapidly becoming common across the world. Data is transferred along radio waves instead of along traditional copper wiring. Therefore, users of laptop computers and wireless devices can use network services wirelessly, at home or in public areas (in public service areas or 'hot spots') such as cafes, airports and hotels.

Wi-Fi is a technology standardized by WECA (Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance), which makes WLAN connections compatible with other WLAN systems. Wi-Fi is also commonly called WLAN.

Our vision is that wireless technology will become a permanent part of the data networks, data systems and logistics of hospitals. It significantly improves the quality of diagnostics as well as personal data and process information.

One of the main goals of the Wilho project is the enhancement and streamlining of the internal processes of hospitals. When care progresses more quickly, the amount of labor required for caring an individual patient is reduced and there is enough time to perform essential working phases. It has been reported that the use of wireless technology has made it possible to boost processes by up to 20 percent. The enhancement of processes is based on the following factors:

• Real time measurement of precise leadtimes and work cycle times
• Utilization of automatic check-in
• Clarification of the degree of use and location of mobile apparatuses and devices
• Measurement of the degree of use of facilities
• Ability to reach critical staff
• Increase in safety of staff
• Reduction in 'Where's the doctor, where's the patient' effect
• Reduction in factors that limit nursing work
• Improvement in the availability of care
• Analysis and development of processes based on historical data

In tracking and data transmission, either WLAN or UWB technology (Ultra Wide Band) is used depending on the application and its requirements.

UWB technology is able to localize with a precision of a few centimeters. The development of WLAN tracking in recent years has made it a respectable method for producing location information in a hospital environment. Together with tracking software the result can be tracking precision of a few meters, and at best one meter.

A wireless network in a hospital enables the early continual monitoring of patient transfers without disruptive wires. The transfer of a patient's measurement data from the patient to a base station utilizes low-power UWB technology and either UWB or WLAN technology when transferring data from a base station to the patient data system.

Wireless networks make data available in real time in follow-up care locations as soon as the patient arrives. Wireless networks and applications also enable the continuous, unbroken monitoring of a patient's condition.

Wireless terminal devices provide doctors and nursing staff with the ability to access patient data anywhere within the coverage area of the wireless network. Thus, wirelessness introduces possibilities that a cable network cannot offer. Perhaps the most important of them is the possibility to move around without breaking a connection.

When a network user makes changes to patient data, all users of the network can see the new updated data immediately. Using his or her palmtop computer, a doctor can prescribe medication or update changes to a patient's condition and the information is immediately available to the entire nursing staff.