International Journal of Clinical Case Reports, 2025, Vol.15, No.3, 110-119 http://medscipublisher.com/index.php/ijccr 111 This study will explore the progress, challenges, and prospects of 5G-supported remote care applications in rural and remote areas. It will examine the current state of 5G-enabled healthcare solutions and provide a comprehensive overview to demonstrate how this technology can transform healthcare services in these regions. Additionally, this study will discuss potential barriers to implementation and propose strategies to overcome these challenges, ensuring the full realization of the advantages of 5G-supported remote care, thereby improving healthcare services in underserved areas. 2 Advantages of 5G Technology in Remote Care Services 2.1 High speed and low latency 5G technology provides high-speed, low-latency data transmission, which is crucial for real-time care monitoring and interaction. The ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) feature of 5G ensures that data can be transmitted with minimal delay, making it suitable for applications such as remote surgery and real-time patient monitoring. For instance, the Tactile Internet-based telesurgery system leverages 5G to achieve ultra-low latency (<1 ms) and high reliability (99.999%) for remote surgical procedures, significantly improving the precision and accuracy of diagnoses and treatments from remote locations (Gupta et al., 2019). Additionally, 5G's enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) capabilities provide high transmission speeds, which are essential for the efficient operation of mobile hospital systems and other healthcare applications that require rapid data transfer (Tebe et al., 2022). 2.2 Extensive coverage and high connectivity density 5G’s extensive coverage and high connectivity density are particularly beneficial for remote care services in rural and remote areas. The technology supports a large number of connected devices, which is essential for the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) and other device-dense healthcare scenarios. This capability allows for continuous monitoring and data collection from numerous medical devices, facilitating comprehensive patient care even in areas with limited healthcare infrastructure (Ahad et al., 2019; Peralta-Ochoa et al., 2023). The massive machine-type communication (mMTC) aspect of 5G ensures that a high density of devices can be connected simultaneously, which is critical for the deployment of smart healthcare networks that require robust and reliable connectivity (Ahad et al., 2019). 2.3 Network slicing and security 5G enables network slicing, which allows for the creation of customized network segments tailored to specific application requirements. This feature is particularly advantageous for remote care services, as it ensures that healthcare applications receive the necessary resources for optimal performance. For example, network slices can be dedicated to different types of medical data, such as eMBB slices for high-throughput data and URLLC slices for low-latency, high-reliability data (Tebe et al., 2022). Furthermore, 5G enhances data transmission security and privacy protection through advanced security protocols and mechanisms. The implementation of secure key distribution schemes and multi-factor authentication in 5G-enabled healthcare systems ensures that patient data is protected from unauthorized access and cyber threats (Figure 1) (Le and Hsu, 2021). This robust security framework is essential for maintaining the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive medical information in remote care services (Pradhan et al., 2023). 3 Demand for Remote Care Services in Rural and Remote Areas 3.1 Care needs due to aging The aging population in rural and remote areas presents a significant demand for remote care services. As the elderly population increases, the need for accessible healthcare becomes more critical. The uneven distribution of healthcare professionals exacerbates this issue, making it difficult for elderly patients to receive timely and adequate care. The implementation of 5G technology can facilitate remote diagnosis and treatment, allowing elderly patients to receive advanced medical care without the need to travel long distances. This is particularly beneficial in countries like Japan, where the aging population and uneven distribution of doctors are prominent issues (Karako et al., 2020). Additionally, the use of 5G-supported telemedicine can help manage the high-speed transmission of medical data, enabling the sharing of medical resources between urban and rural hospitals (Duan
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