Development of an Improved Smart Healthcare Applications Through Visible Light Communication Networks

Abstract

Visible Light Communication is an emerging technology that leverages the visible light spectrum for wireless communication. As medical sensing technologies and smart healthcare operations continue to progress, hospitals\' needs for wireless communication are growing. The increasing demand for efficient and reliable healthcare services Due to the large number of wirelessly connected devices and data-rate-hungry applications, the available Radio Frequency spectrum is limited and getting more crowded. As a result, Radio Frequency based wireless networks are unable to support the low-latency and broadband requirements of applications in future hospital. The widely used open-source network simulator ns-3 is used to construct our simulation testbed. We compare two simulated networks in order to assess the suggested protocol. One network uses the conventional Time Division Multiple Access protocol without enabling Quality of service. Regardless of the priority level of their data, all users in this network share the same amount of time slots. To meet user demands for quality of service, we implement the priority-aware Time Division Multiple Access protocol in the second network. The results confirm that VLC, when optimized through the Development of an Improved Smart Healthcare Application through Visible Communication Network Scheme, offers a transformative solution for hospital wireless communication networks. By achieving ultra-low latency less than one millisecond, high throughput (up to 10 Gbps), and superior packet delivery ratios (95%), Development of an Improved Smart Healthcare Application through Visible Communication Network addresses the critical demands of smart healthcare applications.

Introduction

The rapid advancement of medical sensing technologies and smart healthcare systems is driving a growing demand for reliable, high-performance wireless communication in hospitals. Applications such as real-time patient monitoring, robot-assisted medical procedures, telemedicine, and emerging technologies like medical holography depend heavily on fast and dependable wireless networks to maintain high standards of patient care.

However, hospital wireless networking faces significant challenges. One major issue is electromagnetic interference (EMI), as hospitals must comply with electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) regulations to protect sensitive medical equipment such as MRI, ECG, and EEG devices. Another challenge is the high demand for bandwidth and low latency caused by data-intensive applications like real-time video conferencing, wireless medical imaging, telemedicine for rural populations, and the increasing number of connected medical devices and smart healthcare applications.

To evaluate network performance in such environments, three key metrics are used: network latency, packet delivery ratio (PDR), and network throughput. Latency measures the time taken for data packets to travel across the network, PDR represents the percentage of successfully delivered packets, and throughput indicates the volume of data successfully transmitted per unit time. Together, these metrics reflect the efficiency and reliability of the network.

The text also introduces an improved Visible Light Communication (VLC)-based smart healthcare architecture that integrates lighting, ICT providers, healthcare institutions, patients, caregivers, and regulatory bodies. This architecture supports digitally intelligent, sustainable, and innovation-driven healthcare environments while offering architectural firms a strategic opportunity to enter the smart healthcare market.

Finally, two algorithms are discussed: the existing ESHAVCON algorithm and the improved ISHAVCOMN algorithm. Both are TDMA-based scheduling schemes that allocate transmission slots according to user access categories and traffic priorities. The improved algorithm enhances system functionality by modifying the operational area and incorporating a receiver-side VLC data reception mechanism, aiming to improve efficiency, synchronization, and overall network performance in smart healthcare environments.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Sadisu Mati, Suleiman Abdullahi. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.