Hospital Computer Monitoring with PRTG

Hospital computer monitoring refers to the use of monitoring tools and software solutions to track, manage, and optimize the performance, security, and usage of computers and networked systems within a hospital or healthcare environment. This includes:

• Monitoring the performance of systems that host EHRs, PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System), or Radiology Information Systems (RIS).
• Ensuring hospital Wi-Fi networks remain robust and responsive, particularly in areas where medical devices depend on wireless connectivity.
• Monitoring data access and usage patterns to prevent unauthorized access to patient health medical records or sensitive data.
• Detecting anomalies, such as unusual login attempts, potential cyberattacks, or data breaches.
• Ensuring all hospital computers are up to date with security patches, antivirus software, and encryption protocols.
• Monitoring the connectivity and performance of medical IoT (Internet of Things) devices like heart monitors, infusion pumps, or ventilators.
• Monitoring the hospital’s PACS servers that store diagnostic imaging to ensure they don’t reach full capacity.
• Verifying that regular backups of EHR data are being completed without error to avoid data loss in the event of a system crash.
• Providing IT staff with remote access to computers or devices to troubleshoot and resolve issues quickly.
• Monitoring telemedicine systems that support remote care, ensuring they are always accessible and functional.

Monitoring hospital computers and other devices is important for some of the following reasons:

• Improved patient care: Reliable systems ensure that doctors and nurses can access vital patient data quickly and accurately.
• Operational efficiency: Continuous monitoring minimizes downtime, allowing hospital staff to focus on patient care without worrying about technical issues.
• Data security: By closely monitoring systems for security vulnerabilities, hospitals can safeguard patient information and comply with privacy regulations.
• Cost reduction: Monitoring can help identify inefficiencies, saving costs by optimizing the use of hardware, software, and energy.

DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) is an international standard for transmitting, storing, and managing medical images and related data. It is used in healthcare settings to ensure that images (like X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, etc.) and associated patient information can be exchanged seamlessly between different medical devices and software systems.

HL7 (Health Level 7) is a set of international standards for the exchange, integration, sharing, and retrieval of electronic health information. It focuses on the interoperability of healthcare systems, enabling the seamless communication and management of clinical and administrative data between different healthcare applications and organizations.

In PRTG, “sensors” are the basic monitoring elements. One sensor usually monitors one measured value in your network, for example the traffic of a switch port, the CPU load of a server, or the free space on a disk drive. On average, you need about 5-10 sensors per device or one sensor per switch port.