In recent months, the COVID-19 pandemic has left the world in an unprecedented position. New concepts have emerged, such as socially distant and priority technologies such as the cloud, Internet of Things (IoT) services, and artificial intelligence. Likewise, the Internet of Things and the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) have witnessed a series of groundbreaking revolutions in response to the coronavirus crisis. These technologies in healthcare can have a lasting impact on the future.
The IoT has predominantly become one of the most common terms in today’s technology, with the potential to greatly improve, how we interact with today’s world. From high-quality healthcare devices to popular appliances, IoT technology is becoming smarter and connected to the internet, enabling seamless communication between networks and devices.
We have separated some examples of the use of IoT in the Health area to show how this technology can contribute to a significant improvement in medical care.
Helps in patient monitoring
In the health sector, IoT is making it possible, in particular, to better monitor patients, whether they are hospitalized or in outpatient surgery. Remote medical monitoring allows healthcare professionals to monitor patients’ vital signs and assess their physiological response to treatment without meeting them physically.
Heart implant, respiratory monitoring monitor, connected glucose monitor are the devices used on the patient’s pathology. It collects the desired data and sends it instantly to a database for storage and the physician for real-time analysis and intervention in the event of an anomaly. These devices are often used to monitor patients after surgery. They considerably reduce the number of hospital visits and the risk of readmission, since any problems are detected and dealt with upstream. Real-time data also allows healthcare professionals to adapt the treatment of each patient and offer them alternatives more quickly.
Monitoring of Parkinson’s patients
IBM in partnership with Pfizer is working in partnership to develop the BlueSky Project. The device aims to improve the quality of life of patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. To make this possible, the patient must use some type of device that will provide real-time data on all symptoms of the impact of the disease on the body. With this, the doctor will be able to perform a much more assertive treatment based on the specific symptoms of the patient.
In an episodic assessment of patients with Parkinson’s is done. That is, he goes to the clinic where he is subjected to tests that will assess the progress of the disease. The problem is that, most likely, the patient’s performance will be very different compared to his environment at home and in his daily routine. Therefore, with the use of IoT in medicine, these patients will benefit from a more assertive treatment.
Efficient medication management
One of the most exciting advances in IoT in healthcare comes in new forms of prescription medication. It looks like science fiction work – but pills containing microscopic sensors the size of a grain of rice can send a signal to an external device – usually, an adhesive used on the body to ensure proper dosage and use. Such information can be crucial to ensure that patients remember to take their prescriptions, and even when it comes to prescribing future medications. Patients also have access to data through a practical smartphone application to monitor their performance and improve their habits.
Chronic disease control
Recurring health problems are never exciting, but great strides are being made in addressing such issues – and much of this is a direct result of IoT. There is no innovation or device to help treat chronic diseases in the 21st century – it is the combination of technology, next-generation analytics, and mobile connectivity.
Utilities like Fitbit use IoT to monitor personal health – this information can be shared with a doctor to help resolve recurring problems. A company called Health Net Connect recently established a diabetic population management program to improve clinical treatment and reduce medical costs for patients – and they have already produced some interesting results.
Wrapping up
Overall, the Internet of Things seems to be an exciting development in the medical field. As value grows and the prospect of saving money and saving lives, positive factors outweigh negative factors. The above risks can be repaired and continuously assessed to prevent any damage or loss of machine functions.