The Impact of the Internet of Things in Healthcare
Before, the only way for a patient to speak with a doctor was via appointments & through tele until IoT technology emerged. Hospitals & doctors lacked a consistent method for monitoring patients’ well-being & providing them with appropriate guidance.
The healthcare sector has been transformed by IoT devices, enabling remote monitoring that significantly enhances both patient well-being and the capabilities of doctors. Patients are experiencing higher levels of engagement and satisfaction, as their interactions with doctors have become more convenient and efficient. Additionally, leveraging remote monitoring for patient well-being has the potential to reduce hospital stays and prevent future admissions. Furthermore, IoT represents a revolutionary shift in healthcare, not only by reducing costs but also by elevating the quality of medical care.
The Segments of The Internet of Medical Things
The healthcare sector is experiencing a profound transformation due to the advancement of IoT technology, especially with the emergence of the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). This groundbreaking network of interconnected devices is reshaping patient health outcomes and facilitating virtual connections between doctors and patients.
The IoMT, a key application of IoT in healthcare, encompasses a wide range of connected devices that collect real-time data. It brings a positive influence to the industry by tackling medical challenges and holds enormous potential for disease prevention and treatment. Wearable devices have been designed to simplify patient monitoring, reducing the necessity for frequent doctor visits.
The Internet of Medical Things is structured into separate segments, each dedicated to addressing specific medical challenges encountered within the healthcare industry:
- On-body segment: This category primarily concentrates on health wearables and medical-grade devices intended for individual consumers. Prominent products in this class encompass Fitbit, Samsung Medical, and similar solutions.
- In-home segment: Geared towards individual health monitoring, this category encompasses personal emergency response systems (PERS), telehealth virtual visits, and remote patient monitoring (RPM) solutions.
- Community segment: Comprised of five key components, this category encompasses kiosks dispensing products and services, patient vehicle mobility services, emergency response intelligence, point-of-care devices reminiscent of medical camps, and logistics systems for the management of medical equipment and supplies.
- In-clinic segment: the Internet of Medical Things devices in this segment supply healthcare services within a clinical setting. They also contain point-of-care devices to improve patient care.
- In-hospital segment: Within this category, there exists a range of IoT healthcare solutions designed to oversee various aspects within a hospital setting. These solutions encompass monitors for asset management, systems for personnel management, tools for patient flow management, systems for inventory management, and devices for monitoring the environment and energy consumption.
When examining the implications of IoT in healthcare from a stakeholder perspective, it becomes clear that this technology is making a profound, industry-wide impact on patients, physicians, and hospitals alike. The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is transforming the healthcare delivery landscape, leading to improved outcomes, elevating the overall patient experience, and streamlining healthcare management for physicians and hospitals.
For Patients
Fitness bands, glucometers, and heart rate cuffs offer personalized metrics and continuous tracking capabilities to individuals. These wearable devices can play a crucial role in the lives of individuals living alone, as they can send alerts to their family members, ensuring their safety and well-being.
For Physicians
Medical Internet of Things wearables & home monitoring devices implanted with IoT tech enable physicians to follow patients’ health more effectively. The data gathered from these Internet of Things healthcare devices help doctors in identifying the most appropriate treatment & monitoring methods for their patients. This convergence of IoT & healthcare leads to improved outcomes & better results.
For Hospitals
Hospitals employ IoT technology by integrating sensors to monitor the real-time whereabouts of medical equipment like defibrillators, wheelchairs, oxygen pumps, nebulizers, and various monitoring devices. This technology also streamlines the assessment of medical staff allocation across multiple sites. Moreover, IoT medical devices contribute to asset management tasks, encompassing environmental monitoring and control of pharmacy inventory, including tasks such as regulating refrigerator temperature and humidity.
Medical IoT tackles several challenges within the healthcare ecosystem by engaging multiple stakeholders, including:
- Medical research
- Rural healthcare management
- Inefficient patient care
- Medical process errors
- Supply chain management
By addressing these challenges, medical IoT ushers in substantial enhancements in healthcare delivery and management.
Transforming Healthcare Through IoT
The swift progress of IoT technology in the healthcare sector offers a myriad of opportunities. The substantial volume of data produced by interconnected devices harbors immense potential for transforming healthcare.
The IoT architecture adheres to a four-step process in which each stage is interconnected, facilitating the seamless flow of data from one stage to the next, ultimately resulting in value delivery. This integrated process generates insights and fosters dynamic business opportunities.
- The 1 step involves deploying an array of connected equipment, including cameras and detectors, to collect essential data from these devices.
- In Step 2, data gathered from various sources is aggregated and transformed into a digital format suitable for subsequent processing.
- Step 3: After the data is digitized and aggregated, it undergoes pre-processing and standardization before being transferred to either the data center or the Cloud.
- Step 4: The last stage entails the management and analysis of data at the necessary level. The application of advanced analytics to this data produces actionable business insights that facilitate effective decision-making.
IoT technology is transforming the healthcare landscape by enhancing patient care, optimizing treatment outcomes, and lowering costs for patients. At the same time, it empowers healthcare providers to streamline processes, enhance workflows, boost performance, and elevate the overall patient experience.
Through leveraging the potential of IoT, healthcare is experiencing a profound transformation, empowering both patients and providers with innovative solutions that lead to improved healthcare outcomes.
The Internet of Things in Healthcare: Examples
The utilization of IoT in healthcare signifies remarkable technological progress that presents numerous advantages. These devices play a crucial role in various facets, such as reducing waiting times in emergency rooms, monitoring patients, staff, and inventory, optimizing drug management, and ensuring the constant availability of critical hardware.
Initially created by Miller Reese Hutchison, hearing aids have transformed into IoT healthcare devices that revolutionize the lives of individuals with hearing loss. These hearables seamlessly synchronize with smartphones via Bluetooth, enabling personalized sound adjustments, filtering, equalization, and delivering a natural auditory experience.
For instance, Fitbit, a prominent player in wearable healthcare tech, suggests Versa. This wearable device includes functions like sleep tracking, heart rate monitoring, daily reminders, and on-screen workouts.
Stress frequently contributes to a deterioration in mental health, and individuals coping with mental disorders or neurovascular conditions may seek mood-enhancing solutions. Moodable devices can alleviate symptoms of PTSD and promote relaxation. Worn on the head, these devices administer low-intensity electrical currents to the brain, offering pain relief and elevating one’s mood.
Smart thermometers
IoT devices possess the potential to revolutionize healthcare delivery through the collection and transmission of patient health data. Smart thermometers continuously monitor body temperature, providing real-time data that can aid in the early detection of illness.
They can be seamlessly integrated with other IoT devices, including heart rate monitors and blood pressure monitors. This comprehensive approach offers a holistic perspective on a patient’s health and facilitates the early detection of potential issues.
Smart pills
Smart pills are IoT devices that can be ingested and are capable of monitoring body functions, issuing alerts for any anomalies detected.
When ingested, a medical chip, resembling a miniature pill, travels through the digestive system while transmitting data about the body’s condition to an external receiver. This technology finds diverse applications, such as monitoring gastrointestinal bleeding and identifying early signs of cancer. Ingestible sensors can also monitor medication adherence by sending alerts if a patient misses their prescribed medication time.
The data from these IoT devices can be easily accessed via smartphones, highlighting the potency of this technology and its advantages in healthcare.
Insulin pens
Internet-connected insulin pens facilitate more efficient and convenient diabetes management. Patients can remotely operate these devices, resulting in enhanced self-care for their condition.
Furthermore, insulin pens offer real-time data to healthcare professionals, streamlining accurate diabetes monitoring and treatment. The potential benefits of insulin pens are wide-ranging, and they are already making a positive impact on the lives of diabetic patients.
What Does the Future Hold for IoT in Healthcare?
The impact of IoT on the healthcare industry has been tremendous, & its potential for further modification is vast. The integration of IoT has ushered in innovations like depression and mood monitoring, intelligent insulin delivery, remote analysis of heart rate and breathing, connected inhalers, and a multitude of other IoT applications in healthcare, fundamentally transforming the provision of medical services.
Current trends have motivated healthcare institutions to integrate IoT applications into their business models, with around 60% of industry businesses already embracing IoT-based solutions. This demonstrates that companies and healthcare providers are actively seeking improved solutions to tackle the challenges posed by manual record processing and management systems.
According to reports, around 80% of clinics prefer Electronic Health Records over traditional manual documents. These sophisticated systems assist hospitals in efficiently storing, managing, and analyzing patient data, marking a gradual departure from manual record-keeping procedures.
Our Experience
An application for working with a smart lock
Our team was given the responsibility of developing software for seamless interaction with a smart lock system. The primary goal was to design software that allows users to effortlessly manage their home locks via their smartphones. Read the full case study
This encompassed the capability to send commands for both locking and unlocking, create virtual keys, revoke access privileges as necessary, and enable automatic door opening by recognizing authorized users. Additionally, the software was engineered to provide control not only within the line of sight but also through internet connectivity, ensuring remote access and management functionalities.
Device for remote control of street sirens
Our IT development team effectively implemented a central server system created to enhance the monitoring process by automatically transmitting alarms and outage notifications to connected devices. Furthermore, we designed a user-friendly web interface that allows for the online management of these devices. Read the full case study
Through this interface, users can conveniently access real-time status updates of their devices, manually activate or deactivate the siren functionality, and assign control permissions to field contractors as necessary. To ensure continuous communication, the system incorporates an SMS notification feature that promptly notifies the administrator in case of a loss of communication between a device and the server.
Bottom Line
The Internet of Medical Things has streamlined medical procedures and improved the experiences of both patients and healthcare institutions. Thanks to the convenience it provides and the capacity to receive immediate medical attention, there has been a transition from in-person visits to remote interactions.
However, the implementation of IoT in healthcare demands expertise and a professional approach. Consequently, businesses should enlist the services of a skilled IoT app development company that comprehends their unique requirements and can offer innovative solutions.
Stfalcon suggests a range of services related to IoMT that can bring immense advantages to patients & eventually contribute to the success of your business. The company’s IoT development team is well-versed in cutting-edge techs necessary to change your vision into a reality. If you’re interested, just contact us.
Originally published at https://stfalcon.com.
