Internet of Things (IoT) in Healthcare has created a radical transformation in terms of patient monitoring. Patients could only contact their physicians through phone and email before the IoT. Physicians or clinics could constantly track the health of patients and provide treatment immediately. Remote monitoring achievable in the healthcare sector has been provided by the IoT systems, unlocking the potential to keep patients healthy and secure doctors to deliver outstanding service. This has since improved patient interest and happiness as it has become easy to communicate with doctors. Remote control of patient well-being helps to shorten the length of hospital stay and lowers hospital readmission. IoT has a significant effect on significantly reducing healthcare expenses and enhancing healthcare quality.
In case of a critical accident including heart disease, diabetes, asthma attacks and other crises, real-time tracking through smart devices saves lives. Real-time tracking of a patient’s condition by a digital medical device attached to a smartphone or connected devices can gather the health data required. A report of the Center of Connected Health Policy showed that readmissions of patients were lowered by 50% due to remote patient care with this technology.
The IoT system gathers and transmits health data including blood pressure, sugar levels, levels, oxygen levels, weight, and ECGs. All details are hosted in the cloud and can be exchanged by an approved individual who may be a doctor, the insurance firm, or an impartial advisor to access the data stored irrespective of their location, time, or device.
According to the market database, a successful model of healthcare allows IoT technologies to be extended to specific healthcare environments for multiple diseases. By integrating IoT into healthcare apps, medical practitioners receive accurate information that provides an understanding of the signs and development of the disease while providing remote services. However, integrating IoT in healthcare appears to be a concern. Many healthcare providers are either unwilling to participate or lack the requisite healthcare resources to enable IoT systems.
According to the market database, IoT in Healthcare enables device convergence, machine-to-machine networking, data exchange, and data transmission to allow healthcare services to be delivered effectively. Connectivity solutions like Bluetooth LE, Wi-Fi, Z-wave, ZigBee, and healthcare practitioners can adapt to find patients with disease and injuries, which might also invent creative rehabilitation methods. As a result, technology-driven design cuts costs by reducing unwanted visits, using higher resources, and enhancing management and coordination.
Cybersecurity remains one of the main threats for IoT in Healthcare which needs to be solved with standard approaches, privacy issues, and problems. During the creation of the application design or production process, appropriate considerations need to be taken to ensure end-to-end privacy for IoT devices. This would diminish cybersecurity threats. Also, the software provider is expected to consider security precautions needed by all sensors and devices when designing an application. Furthermore, daily software upgrades and fixes are also a part of the process.
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in June 2018 presented a randomized clinical study of 357 patients seeking treatment for head and neck cancer in the region. The research teams used a Bluetooth-enabled weighing scale and blood pressure cuff, along with a symptom-tracking system, to inform patient doctors with details of symptoms and drug reactions every weekday. Patients who used this monitoring program, known as CYCORE, reported less serious cancer-related effects when opposed to a comparison group of patients who performed routine weekly medical visits without extra tracking. The research indicates the possible advantages of smart devices in enhancing patient communication with doctors and tracking the needs of patients in a manner that creates limited interference with their everyday lives.
Asthma is a condition that impacts the lives of hundreds of millions of individuals around the world. According to the market database, IoT provides patients with more awareness of conditions and the course of treatment to control them. One of the largest producers of smart inhaler technology development is Propeller Health. Instead of producing inhalers, the propeller designed a sensor that is linked to an inhaler or spirometer via Bluetooth technology. This connects to a device that helps people with asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) to recognize what could make their symptoms worse, track the use of rescue medications, and even have allergy predictions. Among the benefits of using a paired inhaler is increased resistance. The propeller sensor produces data on an inhaler that can be communicated with the physician and indicates if they use it as much as needed. This offers inspiration and guidance for patients as well, demonstrating how their inhaler use helps their health.
Besides tracking health concerns, there are also other places where IoT applications in hospitals are useful. Sensor-tagged IoT systems are used to map the positioning of medical equipment such as wheelchairs, defibrillators, nebulizers, oxygen supplies, and other tracking devices in real-time. Emergency personnel mobilization can also be monitored at multiple locations in real-time. The transmission of diseases is of considerable concern to hospital patients. Hygiene tracking systems that are IoT-enabled aid prevent patients from being contaminated. IoT tools also aid with product trackings, such as drug supply control and environmental trackings, such as fridge control of temperature, and relative humidity control.
There are also benefits for health insurers for IoT-connected digital gadgets Insurance companies may use the obtained data from health monitoring tools for their financial statements and health coverage applications. This data would allow them to detect reports of fraud and recognize underwriting prospects. IoT tools add clarity to the financing, pricing, claim management, and risk assessment processes for insurers and subscribers. In the light of IoT-captured data-driven decisions in all business processes, consumers would be granted sufficient insight into the fundamental reasoning behind any decision taken and process performance.
According to the market database, IoT has come a long way and is established across many sectors, including healthcare. Global Market Database could be used to identify the market potential for IoT in Healthcare over the next ten years. The continued introduction of IoT within healthcare would result in dramatic efficiency gains and data collection. Advances in research about medical equipment and improved monitoring would improve health care.
