How The Internet of Things (IoT) Revolutionizing Healthcare Sector In 2021
While the Internet of Things (IoT) booming in almost every industry, the healthcare sector is no more exception. Before that, when digital transformations in healthcare didn’t introduce, consultation with doctors limited to visits for patients, doctors, and hospitals won’t monitor patients’ health frequently and give suggestions accordingly.
IoT makes remote monitoring possible to keep patients more healthy and safe. It eliminates the risk of infections at hospitals by getting treatment and recommendations from doctors at your home. Delivering superlative care enabling physicians to manage medical emergencies via tracking their health conditions.
“The global IoT Healthcare market was esteemed at around USD 5,800 million in 2014 and is predicted to reach USD 14,660 million by 2022, developing at a CAGR of 11.0% between 2017 and 2022, Research says.”
IoT plays a vital role for the Digital Transformation in Healthcare Industry by redefining usage of medical devices and human interaction with IoT healthcare solutions.
Let’s dive into how IoT applications can be favorable for doctors, patients, families, hospitals, and health insurance organizations.
IoT For Physicians
Connected devices like wearables and smart home equipment can frequently be monitoring a patient’s health condition more efficiently. Physicians can get these analytics and can suggest medications in real-time to give the best treatment. Healthcare mobile application connected with IoT-enabled devices can immediately notify physicians if there is any need for immediate medical attention. A smart health monitoring system can help physicians to reach expected outcomes.
IoT For Patients
Patients can easily access IoT devices like fitness bands and other tracking devices to check blood pressure, heart rate monitoring wearables, etc. Also, these devices can be able to remind users about exercise, appointments, blood pressure variations, heart rate fluctuations, taking medications, and substantially more.
IoT has transformed living standards to be more seamless, especially for elder people as they can often track their health conditions. if there is any change occurred in the daily activities of the patient’s routine, the notification will be immediately sent to family members and the concerned physician to take further steps.
IoT For Hospitals & Pharmacies
There are plenty of ways IoT devices can be utilized in hospitals. IoT devices are integrated with sensors that can track the real-time location of medical apparatus such as wheelchairs, defibrillators, nebulizers, oxygen siphons, and other types of tracking equipment. Arranging medical staff at diverse locations could also be tracked in a real-time manner.
IoT can also be performed efficiently in pharmacy supply chain management. There are chances of occurring difficulties during the transportation and delivery into hospitals and pharmacy stores, like sudden temperature fluctuations, conveyance losses, accidents, and other delays can suffering both patients and pharma companies. IoT makes sure to send these tracking details to the concerned person in real-time by using smart labels or RFID tags on every package which allowing hospitals or pharmacies to take immediate actions in unexpected circumstances.
IoT For Health Insurance Companies
There are plenty of ways that health insurance companies can take advantage of IoT. Leveraging health monitoring insights of patients, health insurers can be utilized them for their claim operations. These insights can help them to stay away from fraud claims and recognizing prospects for underwriting. IoT-enabled gadgets drive transparency among health insurance companies and patients or customers in the underwriting, costing, claims management, and risk assessment processes.
Most Commonly Used Medical Devices In Hospitals
Medical devices utilized for different healthcare applications can be classified into 3 major categories:
1. Wearable External Devices
Normally, these devices working as biosensors that monitor physiological data along with wireless communication which may be utilized for telemedicine and inpatient tracking. for instance, these gadgets tracking blood pressure, EKG, temperature, continuous glucose, oxygen, etc.
As defined by Wikipedia, implanted devices “ replace a missing biological structure or support an impaired biological structure, or increase an existing biological structure.” This classification incorporates implantable infusion pumps and other drug delivery devices, cardiac pacemakers, implantable neurostimulator systems, glucose monitors.
2. Implanted Medical Devices
As defined by Wikipedia, implanted devices “replace a missing biological structure or support a damaged biological structure, or enhance an existing biological structure”. This category includes implantable infusion pumps and other drug-delivery devices, cardiac pacemakers, implantable neurostimulator systems, glucose monitors.
3. Stationary Medical Devices
There is a wide scope of stationary medical equipment, it tends to be utilized for different applications, like medical operations (surgical devices) and associated imaging (X-ray machines and MRI machines), lab tests, patient health tracking, drug deployment, and medication management, and many more.
Benefits of Implementing IoT in Healthcare Industry
Remote Medical Assistance
In emergency situations, patient and their family can communicate with a concerned healthcare professional who is far away with smart healthcare mobile applications including medical history. With mobility solutions in healthcare, doctors can quickly check the patients and recognizing disease. Also, it reduces the further expense of visiting hospitals and staying in the queue of consultation.
Proactive Treatment
By adopting smart healthcare solutions, healthcare providers have the ability to access real-time data which can be utilized in making informed decisions and deploying evidence-based treatments. Consistently tracking patient’s health condition can open the opportunity to implement proactive medical treatment.
Rapid Diseases Diagnosis
Constant patient monitoring, real-time data, and quick alerts can help healthcare professionals to diagnose the disease at the initial phase or even before the disease expands based on the symptoms.
Better Management of Drugs and Medicine Adherence
IoT healthcare solutions let medical staff avoid spending much time searching for drugs, tracking medicine deliveries, and monitoring hygiene devices to prevent hospitals from getting infected. Also, it can assist patients to follow their medication routine and physician monitor consistency with prescriptions.
Error Reduction
IoT creates an environment where smart labels like barcodes, RFID tags, and sensors fixed on equipment sync with mobile applications. Data producing from IoT devices help to make decisions effectively as well as ensuring medical operations seamlessly with reducing errors, waste, and system costs.
Future of IoT in Healthcare Sector
As per the Business Insider report, The IoT healthcare market will boost to $400 billion by 2022.
Such development will be owing to enhancing demand, the growth of 5G connectivity and IoT technology and rising adoption of healthcare IT software. The strategy of big organizations such as Apple, Google and Samsung to spend in bridging gap among fitness tracking apps and actual medical care are ensure to add to the process as well.
With the rise of Internet Of Things, healthcare providers can be effectively driving improved efficiency, deploying more personalized healthcare, and providing accurate and error-free treatments and medical processes, shaping an innovative way out of the traditional way of treating patients more efficiently.
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