Internet of Things (IoT) in healthcare: benefits, use cases and evolutions
In recent years, the healthcare sector has made a significant shift to digitalization. The way doctors and hospitals provide care for their patients is changing as a result of digital technologies like IoT devices and monitors. This is a significant development in streamlining healthcare, reducing expenses, and enhancing access to vital medical information.
From $41 billion in 2017 to $158 billion in 2022, the global market has grown dramatically and is now known as the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) which will flourish as the years come by. A constant stream of real-time health information and vital signs, including heart rate, blood pressure, and glucose monitoring, is provided through IoT devices. Moreover, various IoMT medical devices are launching for everyone such as smart beds, thermometers, EKGs, ultrasounds, and much more.
IoT adoption has undeniable advantages for medical professionals and the patients they care for. Among the most typical advantages:
Better Patient Experience – Healthcare facilities are improved when patients are linked to their doctors and families. Remotely tracking devices for vital signs and symptoms make physical spaces smarter, increasing operational and clinical efficiency that results in a more personalized experience.
Precise diagnosis – Personal monitoring devices provide real-time information (such as blood pressure and glucose monitors). They offer information to evaluate past treatments, diagnose symptoms, minimize errors, and enhance ongoing disease management.
Lower Costs – Remote IoT monitoring lowers hospital and physician office operational costs. Additionally, accessing and analyzing electronic healthcare records is less expensive than paper ones.
Common uses of IoT in healthcare
IoMT use cases are becoming more prevalent in the healthcare industry. Among the most well-known and significant IoT applications in healthcare:
Management of Diabetes
The number of adults in the U.S. who have diabetes or prediabetes has risen to over 100 million, making blood sugar level tracking an essential and thriving industry. In the past, diabetes patients had to prick their fingernails to check their blood glucose levels. Unfortunately, this cumbersome approach causes some people to examine less frequently than they ought to, which could raise the risk of long-term issues. Patients were more at risk for dangerous swings in their blood sugar levels since there were no real-time data available.
The rise in IoT simplifies glucose monitoring devices and their use in managing diabetes. Patients can wear these wrist sensors to monitor their blood sugar levels and integrate the information into a reader and smartphone tracking software. The data is wirelessly transferred to the main system that gives you instant updates when you take a glucose reading.
Virtual Hospitals
The smart IoT technology created an innovative new environment called "hospitals without walls". When you wear personal wearables, it gives the patient and the physicians to provide long-term care remotely right in the comfort of patients’ homes. Patients gain from the ease and speed of care, not to mention freeing up hospital beds for patients who require in-person intensive care. In Sydney, Australia, there is a virtual hospital launched in 2020, right as the epidemic was starting to spread. The hospital was rebuilt to offer remote care for patients displaying COVID symptoms by using armpit patches to check body temperature and pulse oximeters (placed on a finger) to detect heart rates and oxygen saturation levels. The data was immediately transmitted to virtual hospital staff using a smartphone app.
Smart Labs
The lab equipment used in today's smart labs can track and send data pertaining on science and health. Researchers and medical practitioners from several disciplines can rapidly and accurately collect and exchange lab results among themselves to accelerate analysis. Alerts can be put up to help prevent equipment breakdowns and the loss of important product information and materials, such as missing medical samples. Researchers can collaborate more effectively in smart labs, and they can speed up the release of critical medical goods for the general population.
d. COVID Impact on IoT in healthcare
Since the epidemic started, development in the healthcare industry has dramatically increased. The usage of multiple wireless monitoring IoT devices and the increased use of video chat by healthcare professionals allows patients to receive real-time care without having to see a physician in person. Insurance payers have also backed the change, with some of them issuing exemptions that permit payment equality for medical services provided in-person or virtual. Virtual treatment seems to be the latest trend as the world recovers from the pandemic, and even ordinary follow-up and feedback may be completely avoided.
Making a Difference with IoT in Healthcare
One of the sectors using IoT devices for the benefit of people everywhere may be the healthcare sector. IoT is having a major impact on everything from constant healthcare monitoring to virtual hospitals and labs, and anyone can get a start in the exciting subject of IoT with the correct training and preparation.
How do we help?
We at Kat tech Systems are the top software development company in Chicago. We provide you with healthcare IT solutions for healthcare companies who are looking forward to creating an intelligent system for common people.
Our IT Solutions for the healthcare industry include creating smart web and mobile apps that connect with your patients’ medical devices and deliver accurate results. We provide customized solutions for our clients and do not believe in one-size-fits-all. This is what sets us apart from the rest.
Want to know more? Feel free to call us at 001-630 233 8643.
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