“Health is wealth” is a motto that sums up the message of World Health Day. With the increasing diseases all around us, it is high time we must take an oath on this World Health Day to be aware of our own health and to actively take care of it. To achieve this, healthcare has turned to many advanced technologies and innovative solutions nowadays.
Healthcare is one of several areas that the internet of things (IoT) has the potential to advance. Medical practitioners may deliver improved patient care and develop more effective workflows thanks to innovative IoT healthcare solutions, notably IoT wearables or IoT healthcare equipment.
The healthcare IoT market has experienced a sudden great surge in its demand. IoT has several applications in healthcare, including automated drug management and remote patient care monitoring. In this blog article, we’ll examine some of the most prevalent applications of IoT in healthcare (also known as IoMT or the internet of medical things) and showcase genuine companies that make use of these tools to achieve success.
IoT Wearable Devices to Aid in Remote Patient Monitoring
One of the most prominent use cases for IoT technology in the healthcare sector is remote patient care monitoring via wearable healthcare devices supported by IoT technology. By establishing a real-time connection between patients and healthcare professionals, remote monitoring technologies offer more effective as well as efficient treatment. The following are some instances of remote patient monitoring stated below.
Patients and physicians can benefit from wearable gadgets that measure vital indicators, including heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. For instance, smart pill bottles monitor compliance and advise patients on the right time to take their medications. Also, the connected inhalers monitor medicine use and notify healthcare professionals when a person needs a refill or is using their inhaler excessively.
For instance, Lifeline (formerly Philips Lifeline), a personal rapid emergency response framework, enables older citizens to live independently while yet having access to assistance when needed. The system is made up of a base station that is connected to a round-the-clock response center and a worn pendant that can detect falls as well as other emergencies. Lifeline can ease the strain on healthcare professionals by using remote monitoring to provide elders and their families peace of mind.
Additionally, ResMed is a manufacturer of medical equipment with a focus on sleep apnea tools. The AirSense 10 AutoSet, one of its healthcare products, is an IoT-capable gadget with remote monitoring features. Patients may track their sleep statistics with the AirSense 10 and get individualized feedback from healthcare professionals. Patients may enhance the quality of their sleep with the use of this information and feedback, and healthcare professionals can see possible problems before they worsen. Such devices are anticipated to give healthcare providers better data on the present health statistics of the patients.
Enabling Healthcare Providers to React Quickly
Process facilitation is the primary effect of IoT in healthcare. Doctors can keep an eye on their patient’s health in real-time thanks to IoT technology. IoT wearables occasionally communicate with other IoT wearables to share data or send messages for additional analysis. By pushing a button, a person may instantly call a healthcare practitioner if they have an infection, which activates contact trackers and alerts nearby patients and medical personnel.
The health sector will profit from this data and information since it can lessen the risk to patients and the occurrence of internal epidemics in healthcare facilities. Additionally, IoT wearables will be helpful during surgery to monitor a patient’s status and provide reminders for the administration of oxygen or other drugs. These IoT wearable sensors can track even the tiniest departures from the usual and deliver all the information required to act promptly, if necessary.
Doctors can now keep an eye on a patient’s vital signs thanks to the invention of IoT wearable gadgets. Doctors can better manage patients’ health and safety with the use of this information. Doctors can use it to track how well their patients’ drugs are following their treatment regimens. The technology can also enable remote care. For instance, when a patient’s health is in jeopardy, IoT-enabled hygiene equipment may be engaged. IoT technology in healthcare can lower the rates of infection and boost patients’ trust in the caliber of their care by giving healthcare personnel precise and timely information. Healthcare is more sophisticated, user-friendly, and efficient with IoT technologies.
Two Innovative IoT Wearable Solutions for Avoiding Health Hazards
In general, IoT provides patients greater control over their treatment and allows them to see how their disorder(s) are being healed step-by-step through the use of internet-connected medical wearables. The following two cutting-edge IoT wearables are heavily utilized by doctors:
Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators are an option for patients with irregular heartbeats. They are tiny, battery-operated sensors that are implanted in the chest to track irregular heartbeats. If the pulse rate is too sluggish, they can also imitate the heartbeat. Implantable defibrillators have shown to be a successful tool in treating individuals with fibrillation or tachycardia who are at risk for sudden death.
A concussion is caused by more than just hard head trauma. Subconcussive strikes are brief, repetitive blows that have the potential to alter brain structure and function. Hence, the Q-Collar is a wearable safety device to protect the brain during an accident or post an accident or surgery.
Effective Data-driven Healthcare for the Future
IoT has largely benefited the healthcare sector. The life sciences, as well as pharmaceutical industries, are also quite prominent, in addition to healthcare, yielding benefits from the IoT technology. They already use IoT to monitor patients remotely. IoT drastically decreases the cost of providing healthcare and reduces the number of actual visits to doctors’ offices and ERs. In addition, the tiny microscopic sensors that are embedded in our bodies and other sensors assist in collecting important information that may be used to slow the course of a disease.
Thus, we very well might witness a revolution in how diseases are treated and diagnosed over the next ten years and beyond. IoT wearable technology is revolutionizing healthcare services and providing sponsors, physicians, and patients with cutting-edge information and insights. Companies within the healthcare and life sciences industries may make better strategies and gain a competitive edge thanks to the data collected through IoT wearable devices. In the next years, real-time illness monitoring, as well as treatment, will evolve as a result of IoT innovations and their ongoing collaboration with the healthcare sector.
Thus, with effective knowledge of these technologies, people will be able to observe their various health-related metrics (glucose level, heart rate, oxygen saturation, etc.) much more effectively. Considering these small achievements on World Health Day, it can be assumed that our planet will be able to become healthy and cope with various diseases in the coming few years.
What IoT trends do you notice taking shape in the healthcare space?
