How is IoT Reshaping Healthcare?
The global health care market is large, complex, and often inefficient. With the emergence of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, a lot of industries such as medicine and healthcare are set to receive some major transformations.
This highly dynamic technology has the potential to create more visibility into patient’s conditions, collect more data points, streamline diagnoses, simplify business processes, raise customer satisfaction, and most importantly improve outcomes. And all without the need for invasive procedures. However, to realize IoT’s vast potential, building blocks such as complex system integration work need to be put in place.
Healthcare is a Top Five global industry, generating $8.45 trillion. To put the number into perspective, healthcare revenue would be the world’s third largest economy today, trailing only the US and China and almost twice as large as the world’s third biggest economy, Germany.
In addition to being an enormous market, health care is a complex industry; one where medical facilities, insurance companies, staff, researchers, and government play leading roles in developing and implementing various treatment procedures..
Like any other industry, healthcare is under constant pressure to perform the seemingly impossible, reducing costs while simultaneously improving outcomes. Yet, IoT has the potential to help providers balance those conflicting drivers. How? IoT creates a plethora of new information sources that promise to make diagnoses proactive and more effective, minus the friction that accompanies healthcare delivery.
IoT Unleashes a Data Deluge
24/7 Real Time Patient Monitoring
Information is the key to treating diseases. The more health care providers know about their patients, diseases, and treatments, the better their plan of action becomes. Legacy health care is ineffective in many ways. First off, the process has been reactive. Patients were examined only when they visited their provider.
As the world’s most complex piece of machinery, the human body is dynamic and requires constant monitoring. Recently, IoT devices that can perform detailed monitoring of biodata have become commonplace, even including early detection warnings to pre-empt medical emergencies.. These solutions often take the form of wearables like fitness bands and other wirelessly connected special purpose systems.
The IoT systems monitor a wide range of bodily functions and processes such as blood pressure, heart rate, and glucose levels. They also chart activity levels and calculate results to provide infomation on calories burned, steps taken, and pulse rates during the day. As a result, observing patients’ vitals is no longer the occasional office visit. Instead, there are smart monitors which can provide insight into how a person is doing in real-time and relay that data right into the doctors’ hands.
Two benefits arise. Patients take more control of their health. Doctors have more contextual information that creates a fuller picture of their patients’ wellbeing. As a result, they deliver personalized treatment assessments and plans in a timelier manner, which improves disease management and outcomes.
Smart Medical Devices
Hospitals rely on a wide variety of special purpose equipment like insulin pumps, inhalers, and pacemakers that perform a wide range of functions. Worldwide spending on such equipment was about $800 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach $800 billion in 2030.
IoT is changing how these smart devices operate in several ways. Traditionally, such equipment was dumb. Healthcare companies had no idea how well the equipment was operating. As a result, it could break down and significantly impede proper healthcare delivery.
IoT solutions have smart capabilities which add a much-needed layer of visibility. Healthcare providers know where the equipment is in its lifecycle and predict when a device is about to malfunction. Consequently, they take steps to avert any unforeseen issues, extending the device’s lifetime, reducing costs, and enhancing the likelihood that the device works when a health care professional or patient needs it.
Devices like these need regular servicing and calibration, and IoT can be used to help identify devices that are due for maintenance. Health professional can also use GPS positioning or Wi-Fi location tracking apps to find patients in emergency situations or recommend the nearest facility for assistance.
Improve Diagnoses
IoT devices generate vast amounts of information. Diagnosing diseases means sifting through it and using artificial intelligence to identify patterns. Predictive analytics enable healthcare providers to identify potential health issues before they become significant. The early intervention increases positive outcomes and reduces stress on the healthcare system as well as increasing the quality of life for patients.Streamline Drug Management
Health care facilities need to put checks in place to ensure that drugs and other medical equipment are managed safely, securely, and efficiently. IoT solutions allow users to improve pharmacy inventory management. These products track environmental factors like refrigerator temperature and humidity. The healthcare provider then maximizes use of its inventory and avoids the additional expenses of having to throw out drugs and medication because they expire or go bad.Special Purpose Medical Systems Emerge
Smart Inhalers
They observe medication usage and send the data to a mobile application. Also, these products remind patients to take their medication, reducing the chances of missing doses and frequent respiratory flare ups.Smart Beds
In addition to incorporating extra health and comfort features, these solutions recognize if a person leaves the bed and alert staff if necessary. They also record sleep patterns, which helps diagnose sleep disorders.Intelligent Wheelchairs
The devices increase navigation independence for users with mobility impairments making it easier and more convenient to get around.Smart Pill Bottles
They remind patients when it’s time for their next dose and track usage. Smart medical containers are a godsend for people with tight dosing windows, complicated regiments, and low adherence ratesFall Detection Devices
These IoT systems are mainly worn as pendants or watches. They automatically alert healthcare providers or family if a fall is detected.Intelligent Pacemakers
They provide real-time heart activity recording and send alerts whenever a potential heart irregularity arisesIntelligent Asset Tracking
IoT tags enable staff to use, monitor and locate mobile medical equipment like wheelchairs, hospital beds, defibrillators, nebulizers, and oxygen pumps.Automated Reminders
Medication reminder apps and health monitoring tools also lead to stricter adherence to treatment plans and better outcomes.IoT Solutions Improve Care Delivery
Faster Disease Diagnosis
Continuous patient monitoring and real time data enables the diagnosing of diseases in earlier stages, sometimes before the first symptoms arise. This change not only improves patient health but also reduces the number and length of hospital visits and re-admissions.Provide Remote Care
IoT changes how elderly patients live. The constant tracking of their health conditions lowers their risk of incidents substantially. Any disturbance or changes in the routine activities of a person triggers alerts to family members or health providers and action is taken as needed.Streamline Health Insurance Processing
Increasingly, insurance companies are leveraging data captured through health monitoring devices to enhance their underwriting and claims operations.- They create new plans that benefit patients and their business.
- The data helps them detect fraud and lower expenses
- The solutions create new revenue opportunities: insurers offer incentives to their customers for using and sharing health data generated by IoT devices.
- Data generated through IoT devices reduces errors and waste, reducing corporate expenditures
Enhance Doctor/Patient Interactions
Doctor/patient interactions become easier, timelier, and more efficient. Similarly, patients actively participate in their healthcare further improving transparency and satisfaction.IoT Deployments are in their Infancy
IoT has great potential, but at the moment, it is still in the early stages of development. The industry is like a tree in early spring. Buds have appeared on its branches, but the leaves are not yet in full bloom.
Because of the possible improvements, experts expect the market to expand quite dramatically. Global IoT revenue is expected to rise from $217.34 billion in 2022 and reach $962 billion by 2032, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.3% during the forecast period from 2023 to 2032.
What is Slowing Down IoT Adoption?
Healthcare companies would love to take advantage of IoT ASAP. However, they need to clear a significant hurdle before fully enjoying all the benefits that IoT has to offer. Each potential use case must be developed from scratch. IoT solutions include hardware, software, and networking components that must be integrated.
If a healthcare provider or third party wants to take advantage of the technology, they face a massive Do-It-Yourself challenge. They must tie all of the IoT components together themselves. The reality is, few enterprises and even third-party integrators want to take on such work for a variety of reasons.
- They lack the manpower for the project
- They do not have the in-house expertise
- They are not interested in that market
- Health care providers work with many special purpose devices and applications that have complex interfaces that require hard to find expertise
- They have to take on complex systems integration work and tie the new solutions to their legacy systems, another time-consuming and expensive proposition.
Partnering with Embedded Experts
How can these companies clear the hurdle? They need help from third-party specialists who understand the ins-and-outs of developing embedded software on small (often low-power) medical devices. These partners have the required expertise needed to integrate the different components. They can deliver turnkey IoT embedded software engineering and development services and manage projects from beginning to end
The partner empowers them to transform legacy dumb devices into intelligent solutions, accelerates time to market, and lowers new product Research and Development costs and time. Essentially, a partner that can empower health care enterprises and third parties to move IoT solutions from theoretical to practical, so they reap its many benefits.
One such partner might be embedUR. We specialize in embedded systems for edge devices, connectivity and management thereof. Check out a few IoT-enabled medical devices we’ve had a hand in bringing to market in recent years. If your dream is waiting to get built, imagine it done. Talk to us, let’s turn it into a reality together.
