Amazing IOT innovations in healthcare set to revolutionize future

The IOT healthcare market is growing steadily and by 2022 it would be worth 158.07 billion. Be it remote health monitoring or supervising medical adherence, IOT is set to radicalize the global healthcare landscape.

While it is termed as Internet of Things, it would be more relevant to call it as Integration of Things due to which numerous applications starting from diagnosis to treatment have evolved enhancing patients’ safety and health and also enabling physicians to deliver better care.

IOT is making a continuous contribution delivering novel methods, tools and crafts to help support an integrated healthcare system that will operate at a much faster pace ensuring accuracy at every level.

How IoT is going to benefit us?

Reduced costs:

With IOT connectivity, there would be a more efficient follow up system for patient supervision on a real time basis reducing the need of multiple visits by doctors. For a patient, it may reduce the need for going to hospitals cutting down further on hospital admission cost. 

 Improved treatment outcome:

Connectivity of healthcare treatments with the aid of cloud computing and other virtual systems would enable the service providers to get a real time access to patient data that in turn help them deliver treatment that is based upon corroboration. This will guarantee accuracy and timeliness of service delivery and consequently, the quality of treatment will be far better. 

Improved disease management:

A need for continuous supervision of patients is a must for delivering quality treatment to ensure patient cure. Through IOT connectivity, doctors are constantly fed by real time patient data so that the disease can be managed before situations take a turn towards the point of no return. 

Reduced medical errors:

Precise accumulation of data, pre-programmed sequencing of activities amalgamated comprehensively with data-based decisions are an infallible way of reducing trash and misleading information, cutting down on system costs and dispensing with mistakes which can lead to wrong treatment of the patient. 

Enhancement of patient experience:

When healthcare system is connected to IOT, the importance of patient requirements for every iota of time spent is highlighted. The entire system of treatment delivery becomes accountable and solely focused on fast recovery. Consequently, the treatment turns accurate and evidence-based. Together with correct diagnosis and enthused foresight from the physicians, the patient experiences a high level of dedication. This helps in trust building in patients which is very essential for successful treatment and ultimate healing. 

Enhanced drug management:

Drugs absorb a bulk of the healthcare expenses. The better you manage your drugs better you would control your treatment costs. IOT connectivity with healthcare and the system driven accessories help manage these costs efficiently. You get accurate information about the patient and the disease based on IOT-supported diagnosis. This reduces the unnecessary procurement of drugs.

Innovative IOT applications creating waves in the healthcare sector:

IOT endeavors basically center on augmentation of care with patient monitoring over long distances where doctors don't need to be present at a handshaking distance from the patient. Currently, smart pills, smart home care, personal healthcare, robotics and real-time health systems are all IOT applications efficiently embedded in the healthcare sector.

These are all cost effective and great time savers surmounting the bureaucratic obstacles encountered in the traditional healthcare system where hospitalization is a prerequisite to treatment.

Open APS closed-loop insulin delivery:

This application finds much-needed use in the open artificial pancreas system. This is an automatic system where using information inputs from the Continuous Glucose Monitor and a computer programmed software, the loop is completed and continuously changes the quantity of insulin pumped. The risk of this automated loop is way smaller compared to the benefits of providing the users the potential to monitor their own devices. 

Activity tracker during cancer treatment:

They are used to collect lifestyle data of patients suffering from multiple myeloma. An activity tracker is installed in the body of patients a week prior to treatment to gather information. The tracker will facilitate in collecting activity level, fatigue, appetite etc. and all information would be saved to the Apps. This kind of diagnostic test is extremely helpful for cancer patients where the response to therapy plays a crucial role in deciding the next course of treatment. 

Connected inhalers: 

One important application of IOT in healthcare is to monitor whether the patient is obeying the dos and don'ts prescribed by the doctor. Connecting sensors to medicines and treatment mechanism enable doctors to monitor whether the patient is adhering to the treatment program. This will trigger enthusiasm in patients to get well soon and more importantly he will understand why the doctor has prescribed such instructions which are to be abided by. 

Ingestible sensors:

A study by WHO reports that 50% of medicines are not consumed as prescribed. Ingestible sensors from Proteus Digital Health are meant to monitor adherence. The pill gets dissolved in the stomach and the sensors pick up the small signals from the body directs them to the connected smartphone apps.

Continuous Glucose Monitoring System (CGMS):

This implantable system works on the 90-day sensor fixed below the skin. The sensor gets communicated with a smart transmitter which relays the blood glucose levels to the apps on the patient’s smartphone.

Connected Contact Lenses:

Another innovative blood glucose monitoring system based on Google’s smart lens technology and currently licensed by Novartis. Non-invasive sensors are embedded in the contact lens. The lens picks up the glucose readings from the patient’s tears and stores the information on a mobile device.

Apple Watch App to fight depression:

Apple Watch App is about to start a 30 patient trial run which would help patients with Major Depressive Disorder. This would monitor cognitive function and report mood fluctuations as well.

Coagulation Testing:

Launched by Roche, a Bluetooth enabled coagulating system enables patients to check their blood clotting time. This is highly beneficial for anticoagulated patients enabling them to stay safe within the therapeutic range and reduce the risk of high bleeding and stroke. They are able to transmit the data to healthcare providers reducing their clinic visits.

Arthritis: Apple’s Researchkit:

Apple’s Researchkit was first used by GSK pharma to study the impact of arthritis on patients’ lives. The parade app is created on Apple Researchkit platform and can be integrated with iPhone’s health platform. This would enable physicians have a detailed report of symptoms, patient activity and quality of life metrics.

Monitoring Parkinson’s disease:

An ongoing clinical trial of Project Blue Sky in coordination with Pfizer and IBM involves an integrated system of sensors, mobile devices and machine learning providing real-time symptoms continuously and progression of the disease to clinicians and researchers. The ultimate ready-to-use version may see the light of the day by 2019 after undergoing several phases of trials along with a Phase III drug trial of another Parkinson drug.

Challenges and obstacles:

With all the benefits that IOT aided healthcare system brings in, the devil of obstacles and challenges march in too. Data management could be a real issue for staff handling the ocean of data which is a hell of a job. Maintaining the security of these patient data archives is not easy either. Handling multiple connected terminals and the dearth of interoperability with the EHR system is a stiff challenge.

More articles on similar topics.

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10 reasons why augmented reality is the new future in healthcare

10 cases where virtual reality is used in healthcare

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