How IoT is changing the healthcare industry

The adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) has revolutionized the way the healthcare industry now works, as it has huge potential and multiple applications, from remote monitoring to medical device integration. In healthcare, IoT is used for interconnected medical devices like monitoring systems, sensor machines, and detectors that capture real-time health information and store it on centralized cloud/servers for later analysis to obtain Better healthcare services. All the big players in the industry are trying to capitalize on this growth and improve their solutions or invest in adopting such technology.

　　Digital technologies that are transforming healthcare

　　Healthcare is about to change beyond recognition. The need to collect, store, and analyze patient data has driven the healthcare industry to adopt various trending digital technologies.

　　Internet of Things (IoT): IoT enables smart connected solutions such as smart sensors, wearable devices, and smart health monitoring systems to unlock potential growth in the healthcare industry by improving treatment using effective health tracking. The growing popularity of IoT in the healthcare and medical fields has enhanced modern technology known as the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). IoT is an ecosystem of smart devices that communicate with each other and formulate outcomes in a real-time environment. This reduces human error to a great extent and eliminates a large amount of decision-making delays

　　Cloud Computing: The cloud helps us protect patient data and ensure compliance while allowing healthcare providers to continue delivering technologically advanced care, extending the patient experience into the digital space. Various public, private, and hybrid cloud platforms help us gain better access to patient records

　　Artificial Intelligence (AI): Artificial intelligence applications help improve the speed and accuracy of medical diagnosis. Artificial intelligence is used in the development of new medical products. It also helps automate repetitive tasks for medical staff such as routine paperwork, scheduling, and timesheets to increase efficiency and reduce costs. AI also helps doctors analyze historical patient data to identify any insights for better healing.

　　How can the application of IoT in healthcare bring change?

　　Wearable devices for tracking health vital signs: Wearable devices are electronic technologies or devices used to track a patient’s real-time health data such as blood sugar levels, blood pressure, heart rate, and other physical activities. Mobile apps collect health data from these devices and transmit the data to the cloud. Using data, doctors can analyze patients' health behaviors and make decisions to improve treatment. Fitness bands and smartwatches most popular among wearable homes with mobile apps

　　Smart Hospital: Paperless hospitals and clinics that use a central electronic health record (EHR) to manage patient data. Medical and billing records do not need to be kept in files and files. Storing such details in a cloud service makes it easy to access and manage. Smart hospitals offer healthcare organizations several benefits such as patient engagement, streamlined communication, hospital asset tracking, workflow optimization, and more.

　　Mobile health: The face-to-face interaction between patients and doctors is changing. Mobile health apps create a different way for doctors to care for their patients. Telemedicine, telemedicine, and remote patient health monitoring have significantly saved the lives of many patients during medical emergencies such as asthma attacks, heart failure, diabetes, or any other critical health condition. The use of mobile health apps and devices has gained popularity in clinical trials, and pharmaceutical giants are now setting their sights on connected drug delivery platforms.

　　Key Benefits Delivered by IoT in Healthcare

　　The Internet of Things is transforming the healthcare industry into the next decade when it comes to the way applications, devices, and people interact in delivering healthcare solutions. Here are some of the key benefits of adopting IoT in the healthcare industry:

　　Real-time monitoring – Smart medical devices provide patients with real-time personalized health status. They remind patients to check their regular health. In case of any medical emergency, such as heart failure or asthma attack, the device notifies you in advance and helps connect you directly to the doctor

　　Better patient experience – Internet connectivity to the healthcare system increases patient interest levels and doctors who are able to improve diagnostic accuracy with the help of real-time health data

　　Reduced costs – Using IoT solutions and connected medical devices, doctors can monitor patients remotely using real-time data, speeding up treatment and providing benefits such as continuous communication, reduced hospital resource usage, and travel expenses.

　　There are a few challenges in adopting digital technologies in healthcare

　　Digital healthcare systems leverage the Internet of Things and big data to establish seamless digital connections with patients. These systems are also increasingly connected via the internet to various types of medical wearable technology, helping us obtain real-time patient information. However, before digital healthcare can be adopted, several challenges need to be addressed:

　　Efficient data security is required to maintain patient privacy

　　Integration of multiple devices using different protocols increases complexity and slows down the data exchange process

　　The large amount of data stored requires efficient memory and data management technology