8 Ways IoT Can Improve Healthcare

Over the past few decades, we’ve gotten used to the Internet and cannot imagine our lives without it. But now the Internet of Things (IoT) is changing the way we operate commodities around us. The Internet of Things is a real-time connection and communication among all sorts of objects, gadgets, wearables, and devices. Essentially, it represents interoperability between all the things around us (excluding computers and phones). Needless to say, IoT is changing entire industries, as it reduces costs, boosts productivity, and improves quality. One of the areas where IoT is contributing the most is medicine. In this article, we will check out 8 ways how IoT is improving the healthcare industry.

How is IoT Changing Healthcare?

With its advanced technologies, IoT gives a significant boost to healthcare development. Some forecasts even estimate that the field of IoT will climb to $117 billion by 2020. How is that possible? Let’s discuss some of the key points!

• Data management

IoT provides countless possibilities for hospitals to gather relevant information about their patients, both on-site and outside of the medical premises. Healthcare relies on telemetry here to capture data and communicate it automatically and remotely. This offers medical staff a chance to act promptly and provide patients with better care in the long run. This part of IoT influence is important with indicators such as EKG data and other vital signs measurements, which leads to much more accurate patient care.

• Remote patient monitoring

Remote patient monitoring is one of the most significant cost-reduction features of IoT in healthcare. It cuts down average daily costs of on-site patient servicing, allowing medical workers to follow the condition of convalescents who return home. This proves to be very important in many ways. Namely, hospitals don’t have to worry about bed availability, and doctors or nurses can keep an eye on their patients remotely. At the same time, patients usually feel more relaxed at home and recover faster.

• Smart beds

Smart beds are a convenient solution for patients who have trouble adjusting bed positions on their own. This kind of IoT tool can sense when the patient is trying to move unsuccessfully, as it reacts by correcting the bed angle or adjusting pressure to make the person more comfortable. Additionally, this frees up nurses, who don’t have to be available all the time and can dedicate extra time to other duties. Many hospitals have already introduced smart beds in their rooms.

• Diabetes management

More than 10% of people have diabetes, which makes it one of the most common diseases worldwide. This also means that IoT developers have paid special attention to diabetes, creating numerous apps to support patients and help them control the disease on their own. Diabetes self-management includes all sorts of gadgets and devices which control glucose levels and remind patients to take their insulin dose. The newest wearables are even capable of delivering insulin on their own, according to health condition indicators. 

• Help for the paralyzed

Paralyzed persons require more care than average patients and medical staff needs to be around 24/7 to assist. With IoT, there are devices which serve to detect the needs of paralyzed patients through facial expression recognition or to receive thought commands through headsets. This enables those with disabilities to gain control over IoT devices like air conditioning, TV, or room lights. This doesn’t mean that nurses don’t have to visit these patients anymore, but it does help them with a number of small tasks that require constant attention.   

• Blood pressure apps

People who suffer from blood pressure disorders have to control it on a regular basis to respond to potential changes and keep the condition stable. IoT has brought some very practical wearables that monitor blood pressure indicators from time to time, and send data to the patient’s phone. Additionally, doctors receive the same information about their patients. This way, patients are well aware of their physical condition, while doctors receive a full history of blood pressure changes. 

• Efficient drug management

Drug management is one of the most expensive units in the healthcare industry. From drug testing and launch, over distribution and prescription, all the way to usage “ there are so many ways this supply chain can be interrupted or misused. This is the cause of the gigantic industry of fraudulent medications. IoT manages drug distribution through digital tags, which allows incessant control over the process. Furthermore, IoT will soon improve by implementing digital features into the cures themselves. The so-called smart remedies will keep an eye on drug usage and health regimes, providing useful data to pharmaceutical companies and doctors.    

• Senior monitoring

IoT is contributing to the healthcare industry not only through interference in direct medical actions but also through simple monitoring. It is challenging to track older patients, who are often senile and face the unpleasant reality of dementia. IoT gadgets help their relatives and/or hospital staff to keep track of seniors and always be prepared to assist them if necessary.

Security Issues

These are the most advanced ways in which IoT is changing healthcare but there are many more to come and be developed soon. The crucial issue in that regard is to secure the process and protect patient information, which is one problem that IoT designers will have to solve in the future. As IoT gadgets collect information without a pause, the most important thing for the healthcare industry is to keep it under control. However, it is clear that IoT is giving healthcare some serious development possibilities, which means that security issues will not stand on its way for too long.

Conclusion

The Internet of Things is a game-changer in the healthcare industry. According to Goldman Sachs, it gives the U.S. healthcare system a chance to save as much as $305 billion in the years to come, most of which will be due to chronic disease management. Bearing this in mind, it is reasonable to claim that IoT will change healthcare in a way that we haven’t seen since the invention of penicillin. We are sure that there will be enough material to do a part two to this article in the future, so please stay tuned for the exciting changes IoT will bring to healthcare and other industries!