Smart devices are bringing a big transformation into digital health, revolutionizing healthcare delivery and empowering patients with personalized, cost-effective, and efficient solutions. From wearable fitness trackers to AI-enabled diagnostic tools, these devices are reshaping the future of healthcare industry.
Research is going on in every sector of science. With the quick adoption of new technology, the health sector continues to innovate using the vast Web-connected universe known as the Internet of Things.
Healthcare IT Solutions providers are using the latest generation of information technologies, such as the internet of things (loT), big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence. IoT in Healthcare is the process of shifting from ‘paper to electronic’ to transform the traditional medical system will help in enhancing the efficiency of the healthcare system but also will make healthcare more convenient, and more personalized.
IoT technology keeps patients better connected to doctors and in this article; we will look at 10 examples of IoT in healthcare that demonstrate what medicine is becoming capable of thanks to technology.
1. Remote Patient Monitoring
According to a survey, 30 percent of medical patients re-admit into the hospital after surgery because they lack the facility of monitoring patients. Remote patient monitoring is a method of healthcare delivery that uses IoT to gather patient data external to traditional healthcare settings. By using Wearable devices with embedded sensors doctors can monitor patient conditions the whole day long.
Also, it notifies the doctors if the patient does not take medicine regularly. RPM is user- friendly and can be used anywhere and anytime. This can help rural people to extend their reach to the doctors at the same time reducing travel and hospitalization costs.
2. Hospital Operations Management
Hospital is a crowded, busy place. Sometimes the schedule of doctors is so busy that they don’t have the time to see multiple patients simultaneously. Healthcare IT Companies have brought the solution for all the problems with the Internet of Things in healthcare applications.
It can help in reducing the cost of medical equipment by monitoring the present condition of each one. Hospital authorities will get notified when they have to replace out of date equipment with IoT sensors. You will wonder that now IoT applications can also detect the cleanliness of hospital staff. This will help to maintain a healthy hospital environment.
3. Glucose Monitoring
Diabetes is a chronic disease, as it affects roughly one in ten adults, and one that needs constant monitoring and treatment. IoT applications such as Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) are with embedded body sensors continuously monitor and send data of sugar level in blood can minimize the risk of death by diabetes. This data is transmitted to physicians for constant analysis of the patient’s health condition.
Another smart device that is currently used by diabetes patients is the smart insulin pen. Smart insulin pens can automatically record the time, amount, and type of insulin injected in a dose, and recommend the correct type of insulin injection at the right time.
4. Hearing Aid
IoT in healthcare is playing a smart role, and we are already familiar with hearing aid applications. Almost 466 million people have hearing loss problems and this device is making their life easy. Users can listen to several conversations at the same time.
Along with this, it also lets people turn the light on or off from remote places on voice command. It can also be used as a smoke detector with the use of the smoke sensor.
5. Smart Watches for Depression
If you want to see an innovative example of artificial intelligence or machine learning in healthcare you can look at smartwatch designed to detect depression levels. We all are aware that there are lots of people who are suffering from depression and taking treatment for it. This watch can track and suggest what to do in case of depression. It gives the prediction of the depression level of the users and the same data is transmitted to a psychologist which helps them to understand the insight of patient problems by monitoring from distant places. We can say that it is one of the smartest examples of IoT healthcare solutions which will help to cure the mental health of the working-class.
6. Telemedicine
The concept of telemedicine and telehealth could be still new to healthcare professionals but the demand for convenient and accessible healthcare has raised its demand. Telemedicine is the practice of caring for patients remotely when the provider and patient are not physically present with each other. Modern technology has enabled doctors to consult patients by using HIPAA compliant video-conferencing tools.
7. Cancer Detection by IoT Devices
Have you ever heard about “ITbra”? If no, then it is a cloth that detects breast cancer among women. We know that breast cancer is the second dangerous phenomenon for women after lung cancer. By wearing this cloth for just 2 to 12 hours in a month woman can detect temperature changes with seven embedded sensors on breast tissue and analyze abnormal patterns to detect early-stage cancer.
One of the greatest advantages of this wearable technology is that there are no radiation or side effects of this. Also, it reduces the cost of normal cancer detection.
In 2018, data was presented at the ASCO Annual Meeting from a randomized clinical trial of 357 patients receiving treatment for head and neck cancer. In the trial they used a Bluetooth-enabled weight scale and blood pressure cuff, along with a symptom-tracking app, to send updates to patients’ physicians on symptoms and responses to treatment every weekday.
8. Coagulation Testing
It is a Bluetooth-enabled coagulation system that allows patients to check how quickly their blood clots. This device can help patients with self-testing to stay within their therapeutic range and lower the risk of stroke or bleeding. The readings collected from this device are also transmitted to healthcare providers leading to fewer clinic visits. The device also allows patients to add comments to their results, reminds them to test, and flags the results concerning the target range.
Conclusion
DreamSoft4U Pvt. Ltd. is a leading company in Healthcare IT Solutions in India, USA, and South Africa countries that aims to help healthcare organizations to cope up with innovation in healthcare through specialized solutions and healthcare technology platforms. With front-line technology, top-notch service quality, we help healthcare providers to focus on delivering quality care rather than running an IT department. That’s why we provide HIPAA-compliant Telemedicine app development services, EMR, EHR, Medical Billing, Health Information Exchange, Patient Data Management solutions, etc.
FAQs
Q1. Are smart devices in healthcare secure and compliant with privacy regulations?
Yes, smart devices in healthcare can be made secure and compliant with privacy regulations by implementing proper security measures and adhering to industry standards
Q2. What are some challenges associated with implementing smart devices in healthcare?
With any smart device integration project, the premiere challenges are interoperability, data privacy, and regulatory compliance. Talk to one of our IoT experts for more details.
Q3. What are the healthcare software development time and cost?
The time and cost will depend primarily complexity of the device, required features, and extent of integration with existing systems.
Q4. What are some examples of smart devices being used in healthcare today?
Some examples of smart devices being used in healthcare today include wearables for monitoring health parameters, smart pill bottles to track medication adherence, and remote patient monitoring devices.