July 25, 2023

The Impact of IoT in Healthcare

Earlier, the only way for a patient to communicate with a doctor was through appointments and via tele until IoT technology emerged. Neither hospitals nor doctors had a means of consistently monitoring patients' well-being and subsequently advising them accordingly.

IoT devices in Healthcare have revolutionized this sector by making remote monitoring a reality which greatly benefits patients' well-being and doctors' abilities. Patients are more engaged and satisfied since their interactions with doctors have become easier and more efficient. Apart from that utilizing remote monitoring for a patient’s wellbeing could aid in lessening their stay at the hospital as well as avoiding future admissions. Moreover, IoT is a game-changer when it comes to both reducing the cost of healthcare and enhancing medical care.

The Segments of The Internet of Medical Things

The healthcare industry is undergoing a significant transformation with the evolution of IoT technology, particularly through the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). This revolutionary network of connected devices is revolutionizing patient health outcomes and enabling virtual connectivity between doctors and patients.

The IoMT, a key application of IoT in healthcare, encompasses a wide range of connected devices that gather real-time data. It positively impacts the industry by addressing medical challenges and holds immense potential in preventing and treating diseases. Wearable devices have been developed to facilitate easy patient monitoring without the need for frequent doctor visits.

The Internet of Medical Things is organized into distinct segments, each focusing on specific medical issues faced by the healthcare industry:

1. On-body segment: This segment focuses on health wearables and medical-grade devices for individual consumers. Notable products in this category include Fitbit, Samsung Medical, and similar solutions.
2. In-home segment: Designed for personal health tracking, this segment includes personal emergency response systems (PERS), telehealth virtual visits, and remote patient monitoring (RPM) solutions.
3. Community segment: Comprising five components, this segment includes kiosks that dispense products and services, mobility services for patients' vehicles, emergency response intelligence, point-of-care devices resembling medical camps, and logistics systems for managing medical equipment and supplies.
4. In-clinic segment: IoMT devices in this segment provide healthcare services within a clinic setting. They also encompass point-of-care devices to enhance patient care.
5. In-hospital segment: This segment encompasses a variety of IoT healthcare solutions for managing different aspects within a hospital. These solutions include asset management monitors, personnel management systems, patient flow management tools, inventory management systems, and environment and energy monitoring devices.

When considering the applications of IoT in healthcare at a stakeholder level, it becomes evident that this technology is creating a profound industry-wide impact on patients, physicians, and hospitals alike. The IoMT revolutionizes the way healthcare is delivered, fostering better outcomes and enhancing the overall patient experience while facilitating efficient healthcare management for physicians and hospitals.

For Patients

Fitness bands, glucometers, and heart rate cuffs, provide individuals with personalized metrics and constant tracking capabilities. These wearable devices can have a significant impact on patients living alone as they can send alerts to their family members, ensuring their safety and well-being.

For Physicians

Medical IoT wearables and home monitoring devices embedded with IoT technology enable physicians to track patients' health more effectively. The data collected from these IoT healthcare devices assist doctors in identifying the most suitable treatment and monitoring approaches for their patients. This convergence of the Internet of Things and healthcare leads to improved outcomes and better results.

For Hospitals

Hospitals utilize IoT technology by incorporating sensors to track the real-time location of medical equipment such as defibrillators, wheelchairs, oxygen pumps, nebulizers, and other monitoring devices. This technology also facilitates the analysis of medical staff deployment across multiple locations. Furthermore, IoT medical devices aid in asset management, including environmental monitoring and pharmacy inventory control, such as regulating refrigerator temperature and humidity.

Medical IoT addresses several pain points within the healthcare ecosystem through its involvement of multiple stakeholders, including:

• Inefficient patient care
• Medical process errors
• Supply chain management
• Medical research
• Rural healthcare management

By tackling these challenges, medical IoT brings about significant improvements in healthcare delivery and management.

Transforming Healthcare Through IoT

The rapid advancement of IoT technology in the healthcare industry presents a plethora of opportunities. The substantial volume of data generated by interconnected devices holds immense potential for revolutionizing healthcare.

The IoT architecture follows a four-step process, where each stage is interconnected, allowing data to flow from one stage to the next, ultimately delivering value. This integrated process yields insights and creates dynamic business prospects.

• The 1 step provides deploying an array of connected equipment that include cameras and detectors, and data that is essential is collected by these devices.
• Step 2 involves aggregating data received from various sources by converting it into a digital format suitable for further processing.
• Step 3: Once the data is digitized and aggregated, it undergoes pre-processing, and standardization, and is transferred to the data center or the Cloud.
• Step 4: The final stage involves managing and analyzing the data at the required level. Advanced analytics applied to this data generate actionable business insights that facilitate effective decision-making.

IoT technology is reshaping the healthcare landscape by enhancing patient care, improving treatment outcomes, and reducing costs for patients. Simultaneously, it enables healthcare providers to streamline processes, improve workflows, enhance performance, and elevate the overall patient experience.

By harnessing the power of IoT, healthcare is undergoing a fundamental transformation, empowering both patients and providers with innovative solutions that drive better healthcare outcomes.

IoT in Healthcare: Examples

The application of IoT in Healthcare represents remarkable technological advancements that offer numerous benefits in healthcare. These devices play a vital role in various aspects, including minimizing waiting times in emergency rooms, tracking patients, staff, and inventory, ensuring efficient drug management, and ensuring the availability of critical hardware at all times.

Hearables

Originally invented by Miller Reese Hutchison, hearing aids have evolved into IoT healthcare devices that revolutionize the lives of individuals with hearing loss. These hearables seamlessly sync with smartphones via Bluetooth, allowing for personalized sound adjustments, filtering, equalizing, and creating a natural auditory experience.

For example, Fitbit, a prominent player in wearable healthcare technology, offers Versa. This wearable device incorporates features such as sleep tracking, heart rate monitoring, daily reminders, and on-screen workouts.

Moodables

Stress often leads to a decline in mental health, and individuals with mental disorders or neurovascular issues may require mood-enhancing solutions. Moodable devices can alleviate PTSD and provide relaxation. These devices, worn on the head, deliver low-intensity electrical currents to the brain, providing pain relief and uplifting the mind.

Smart thermometers

IoT devices have the potential to transform healthcare delivery by collecting and transmitting patient health data. Smart thermometers continuously monitor body temperature, offering real-time data that can help detect early signs of illness.

They can be integrated with other IoT devices, such as heart rate monitors and blood pressure monitors. This comprehensive approach provides a holistic view of a patient's health and enables early identification of potential issues.

Smart pills

Smart pills are ingestible IoT devices that monitor body functions and provide alerts for anomalies.

A medical chip, when swallowed, as the miniature pill traverses the digestive system, transmitting data about the body's condition to an external receiver. This technology has various applications, including monitoring gastrointestinal bleeding and detecting early signs of cancer. Ingestible sensors can also track medication compliance by sending alerts if a patient fails to take their medication at the prescribed time.

The data from these IoT devices can be conveniently accessed through smartphones, showcasing the power of this technology and its benefits in healthcare.

Insulin pens

Internet-connected insulin pens enable more effective and convenient management of diabetes. Patients can remotely control these devices, leading to improved self-management of their condition.

Additionally, insulin pens provide real-time data to healthcare professionals, facilitating accurate monitoring and treatment of diabetes. The potential advantages of insulin pens are extensive, and they are already positively impacting 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, and its potential for further transformation is vast. The integration of IoT has brought about advancements such as depression and mood monitoring, smart insulin delivery, remote analysis of heart rate and breathing, connected inhalers, and numerous other IoT applications in Healthcare that have revolutionized the delivery of medical services.

Ongoing trends have inspired healthcare institutions to incorporate IoT applications in Healthcare into their business models, with approximately 60% of businesses in the industry already adopting IoT-based solutions. This indicates that companies and healthcare providers are actively seeking better solutions to address the challenges they faced with manual record processing and management systems.

According to reports, around 80% of clinics prefer Electronic Health Records over traditional manual documents. These advanced systems help hospitals to store, manage, and analyze patient data more efficiently, leading to a gradual shift away from manual record-keeping practices.

Our Experience

An app for working with a smart lock

This included the ability to send commands to open and close the lock, generate virtual reality passwords, revoke access if needed, and facilitate automatic door opening by recognizing the authorized owner. Moreover, the software was designed to offer control not only within line of sight but also through internet connectivity, ensuring remote access and management capabilities.

Device for remote control of street sirens

With this interface, users can easily access real-time status updates of their devices, manually activate or deactivate the siren functionality, and grant control rights to field contractors as needed. To ensure uninterrupted communication, the system includes an SMS notification feature that promptly alerts the administrator in the event of a loss of communication between a device and the server.

Bottom Line

The Internet of Medical Things has streamlined medical processes and enhanced the experiences of both patients and healthcare institutions. With the convenience it offers and the ability to receive immediate medical attention, there has been a shift from in-person visits to remote interactions.

However, implementing IoT in healthcare requires expertise and a professional approach. Therefore, businesses should engage the services of an expert IoT app development company that understands their specific needs and can provide innovative solutions.

Stfalcon offers a range of services related to the Internet of Medical Things that can bring immense benefits to patients and ultimately contribute to the success of your business. The company's IoT development team is well-versed in cutting-edge technologies necessary to transform your vision into a reality. If you are interested, just contact us.