Internet of Things or IoT is a common term that most of us are aware of. IoT has revolutionized the healthcare sector and has changed the way the healthcare industry used to function. IoT in healthcare applications helped remote monitoring and seamless health management. Today, we find integration of IoT-enabled medical devices like IoT-enabled analytics platforms, IoT healthcare sensors, etc.
This blog would help you learn about the benefits of the Internet of Things for healthcare. Also, you will learn about its applications, challenges, and how it helped improve patient care, automate processes, and reduce costs by using IoT-based online smart healthcare solutions.
Benefits of The Internet of Things For Healthcare
To automate health care systems to improve patient care, enhance overall efficiency, medical professionals are investing in IoT app development to leverage IoT technology.
1. Facilitates Remote Tracking of Patient’s Health
Today, we use various medical devices to check blood pressure, blood glucose levels, etc. All this is possible only because of IoT technology and it helps us to do so pre-diagnosis before visiting the doctor. These devices fetch the results in a mobile app and they can be shared with the doctor. Also, the patients can relax if there are no health issues while nurses and doctors can access the healthcare data, monitor the stats and disease progress, share reports and spare more time for more patients.
2. Getting On-time Notifications
One can install medical devices, smartphone apps and IoT-enabled analytics platforms to track patients’ health and other developments. It means you can get real-time alerts or notifications.
It helps take action if any problem or symptoms persist as the doctors would receive notification through the web, mobile app, or email.
3. Offer Remote Medical Assistance
The main benefit of the Internet of Things in healthcare is the online smart healthcare solutions it offers to connect doctors and patients to resolve issues related to an emergency. It helps healthcare services to manage patient care remotely and help them get medical facilities like an ambulance on time.
4. Extract patient data for medical research
When it comes to the role of the Internet of Things in healthcare,it helps extract huge chunks of data that can be further sent and processed using analytics tools. This data is used to create stats reports, monitor patient progress, check symptoms, and help scientific research in different areas of the healthcare industry. This helps doctors get a better picture of the disease to enhance health management through real-time data through IoT healthcare sensors and linked devices.
5. Helps smart drug monitoring
The healthcare setups need higher drug consumption. It often leads to issues due to theft or lack of drug supplies. So, both these factors need to be monitored and recorded. With the introduction of IoT applications in medicine , it is easy to resolve such problems.
Challenges of IoT in healthcare
Apart from the benefits that we have discussed above, there are also some challenges associated with the Internet of Things in healthcare,so let us have a look at them
1. Several communication rules
If you want to fetch, transfer and exchange data, you need to connect the apps, smart devices, and several sensors to one IoT ecosystem. It means every device needs to be recognized and authorized inside the network and linked to the cloud. This process needs managing different communication rules that can result in complexities that need to be considered during IoT app development.
2. Data Security
One of the biggest concerns is data privacy and security during implementing IoT solutions in the healthcare sector. Obviously, the medical devices can be easily hacked when the data rules or security standards fail. Hence, you need to offer a strong security system while creating an IoT enabled system
3. Data Overload And Reliability
When it comes to IoT technology it can bring in a set of challenges related to storage capacity and data analysis. Also, with the increase in IoT-based healthcare solutions, the data storage needs will escalate.
4. Cost of The IoT Healthcare Solutions
Certainly, IoT-based solutions need a considerable investment and especially when you wish to build a complex IoT solution that comprises a linked mobile app, medical device, and a web system with embedded analytics. But, it will pay back in the long run.
So, before you decide to develop an IoT solution, try to identify your industry needs and your goals. It will help you determine the functionality you need to build. Also, finding an expert mobile app development company is essential to get a reliable end product.
IoT In Healthcare - Process
Let us look at how the IoT healthcare process works
- A sensor gathers data from nurse/patient or doctor and inputs data
- Next, the IoT device evaluates the data gathered using AI-based algorithms such as machine learning (ML).
- Now, the device comes to a decision – either to work on data or send it further to the cloud
- The robots, health professionals, and doctors are well-equipped to make informed decisions and take necessary actions based on the information offered by IoT devices.
Future of The Internet of Things In Healthcare
An IoT unit can be best explained as a device along with a sensor with the capacity to communicate with the real world and provide details to the internet.
So, the IoT-enabled healthcare devices can easily interact and take vital actions that would offer one-time assistance to save lives.
So, IoT-powered healthcare services not just offer enhanced patients’ health but also offer timely assistance for emergencies and increase the efficiency of health professionals and functions.
IoT Applications In Healthcare
1. Smartwatch
Some of the wearables available at electronic stores are equipped with an internet connection and a sensor for example iWatch Series 4 that helps monitor heart rate, manage diabetes, assist in speed treatment, help enhance posture and identity seizures.
2. Insulin Pens & Active CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitoring)
Well, these devices help monitor blood glucose levels and then transfer the data to a smartphone app. Diabetic patients can make use of such devices to monitor their glucose levels.
3. Brain Swelling Sensors
They are small sensors that help measure the pressure on your brain and also melt on their own in the body without the need for medical assistance.
4. Ingestible Sensors
It is one of the friendly sensors that help doctors ensure that their patients take their medicines on time.
5. Smart video pills
It is an amazing pill that can travel through the intestinal tract of the patient and click pictures as it travels. It can also send the information gathered to a smartphone app.
Conclusion
The future trends of IoT in healthcarewill bring in a lot more benefits for the healthcare industry. Hence, investing in IoT mobile app development can help maximize your ROI.
If you are searching for a reliable software development company to empower your healthcare workforce with competitive and scalable IoT solutions, we at X-Byte Enterprise Solutionswould assist your organization to shift to IoT-driven smart solutions. Get in touch with us for your IoT mobile or IoT web app development project.