Healthcare is one of the most prominent industries, but due to the complexity, level of engagement, and stringent management, modifications have to come a long way before they get fully embraced in this domain. However, things have improved since the pandemic has shown the vulnerabilities and inabilities in this sector. The Internet of Things could be the technology that will support us to resolve these and other dilemmas in healthcare.

 

                  

The application of the Internet of Things (IoT) in healthcare has endless possibilities, but its implementation is going gradually. With the development of medical IoT, there will be numerous opportunities for telemedicine, distant monitoring over the patients' health, and much more.

The Future of Healthcare with IoT Technology

One of the determinants in the development of the medical assistance market in the times of quarantine and ahead is the increasing application of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), remote patient tracking technologies through wearables, mobile tools for telemedicine, etc. For instance, the trial of UAV technologies in the medical supply chain is now underway. In Rwanda, drones are used to convey donor blood. In the eventuality, drones will be used to pass medicines to patients for home therapy.

Indeed, with the help of IoT, the industry experiences a lot of cutting-edge openings:

 

• Telemedicine. With the guidance of the medical Internet of Things, a person can get information remotely. Thus, it is conceivable to save a patient's time and decrease the doctor’s workload.

 

• RFID for patient monitoring. Labels allow tracking of the prevailing location of the patient. In application, RFID is used in maternity hospitals to circumvent confusing children from various mothers. The technology is also used for somebody suffering from memory difficulties like Alzheimer's disease, and other ailments.

 

• Wearable devices that transmit data directly to doctors. These are most often completed in the form of bands, watches, bracelets, and other trackers that assemble all the important information like heart rate, blood pressure, pulse, etc. and send it to the doctor. There are dozens of such IoT in healthcare cases already working as parts of healthcare assistance.

 

• Diagnosis, preventive medicine. Devices for collecting medical information forward it to the doctor, who can identify any deviation from the normal values, and suggest relevant treatment in advance.

Why Using IoT in the Healthcare Industry?

Since day one, the healthcare industry has encountered various difficulties that are yet far from being resolved. For example:

Low patient engagement and medication adherence

Often, patients merely disregard the necessities of a specialist, using folk treatments or a drug that is recommended by friends. Using IoT healthcare solutions that enable remote tracking of medication adherence and patient appointment, the treatment means will always be under the authority of a doctor.

Slow treatment process and delays in hospital discharges

Even on regular days, hospitals often do not have the adequate staff power to preserve all the patients that are coming in. Pandemic only intensified this problem in time and explicated the weaknesses in existing healthcare methods. Add to that a shortage of qualified professionals, a low number of well-equipped rooms, etc. Combining the Internet of Things to the healthcare industry, we can significantly advance and interpret the process of serving. Connected technology can help watch patient admittance, optimize workflows, foretell the entrance of patients during an epidemic period, etc.

Underfunding and misplacement of resources

Modern medicine is extremely resource-intensive, and it is not continuously possible to satisfy all the conditions. This is particularly accurate for Asian, Latin American, and African countries. IoT will significantly lessen the cost of subsistence of bases, personnel, transport, and more.

Nevertheless, leading IoT into the healthcare market is not that simple. The main problems are related to the inadequate development of privacy technologies, as well as the performance of outdated infrastructure. It is also deserving noting that the expense of implementing IoT is still considerably high, and the technology is not fully mature. At the same time, expenses on the Internet of Things in healthcare can begin giving answers quickly if well-calculated.

Benefits of IoT in Healthcare

There are many benefits of IoT in healthcare as in many other applications. However, some advantages of IoT in healthcare exceed the application of appropriate technology in other fields because of their decision. For example:

 

• IoT magnifies the abilities of precautionary medicine. Using IoT data, we can completely understand what situation the patient is in and acknowledge respectively. The collected information empowers doctors to mark the differences and directly address any problems without waiting for symptoms to become visible. For these goals, the application of neural networks for data analytics concurrently with vast IoT data works excellent.

 

• Improved mobility and warning of hospital staff. This is one of the most important IoT benefits in healthcare that can make a contrast for the staff on the frontline. In the times of pandemic, more and more inmates need instant help. Today, nurses or doctors work exceeding their abilities. They require tools to help them have a track of dozens and even hundreds of patients in real-time. With IoT tracking systems, they can get warned directly when critical changes in patients' parameters happen, instantly locate patients who need staff, and direct aid asap.

 

• Accelerated processing of patient data. Normally doctors spend hours preparing different kinds of data. With IoT, it will just take a few minutes. Also, the Internet of Things, connected with AI and ML, can offer achievable treatment decisions.

 

• More careful management of drugs and medicine adherence. Using medical apps for doctors, healthcare experts can remotely find out whether the patient has received drugs, and if not, the therapist can call and remind a patient concerning that or, even further - this whole method can be automated.

 

• Lessened risk of error and miscalculation due to the human part. Sometimes examinations can mix up, or the doctor may make a faulty measurement or inaccurate conclusion. The human factor in medicine can lead to dangerous outcomes. With IoT, this is principally avoided with controls and insights. The machine will accommodate maximum diagnostic efficiency.

 

• Personal data is securely transported right to the doctor. All information is strictly secret and nobody will be capable of seeing it without the attending physician. Information is assigned directly from one device to the next.

Finally

The future of IoT in healthcare is ensured in the view of the current events. The unfolding disaster in the industry caused by the pandemic once again demonstrated the significance of implementing technologies like IoT, big data, and AI to heighten productivity and improve safety in healthcare. Implementing IoT resolutions right now is no longer about lingering ahead of the competition, it's about getting sure we can handle the pressure.

We at iROID Technologies help businesses leverage IoT in the healthcare industry. Our experts develop IoT software in healthcare that produces real value. Innovative applications created by iROID help improve the trust in healthcare exercises, improve the interaction between healthcare professionals and patients, and make methods more suitable and reliable. Contact us now and we will assist you to produce your approaches to life!