Exploring 15 IoT Applications in Connected Healthcare

In today’s digital age, technology is revolutionizing the healthcare industry, making it more efficient and accessible. One such transformative technology is the Internet of Things (IoT), which connects devices and collects data to improve patient care. In this, we’ll explore IoT applications in connected healthcare.

According to recent statistics, the global remote patient monitoring devices market is projected to exceed $175.2 billion by 2027, highlighting the growing demand for IoT technologies in healthcare.

Through this exploration, you’ll discover the various ways IoT is enhancing patient outcomes, streamlining healthcare processes, and paving the way for a more connected and efficient healthcare system.

Short Summary

• IoT applications in healthcare are revolutionizing patient care, improving efficiency, accessibility, and personalization.
• From remote patient monitoring to smart sensors and wearable devices, IoT technology is transforming how health is managed.
• Despite challenges like data security and integration, IoT offers undeniable benefits such as improved patient outcomes and reduced healthcare costs.
• AIScreen, as a leading digital signage provider, plays a crucial role in enhancing communication and patient engagement, contributing to a brighter future for healthcare.

What Exactly is IoT, and Why is It Important In Healthcare?

Imagine IoT as a big web connecting everyday things like gadgets, cars, and home appliances. These items have special parts inside called sensors and software. They can talk to each other through the internet, sharing information.

So, in a digital signage healthcare setup, IoT is like having a bunch of smart medical devices all around. They do stuff outside of the main tasks.

Now you will say, why is IoT important in Healthcare?

In hospitals, smart healthcare systems gather lots of info about patients, like their blood sugar levels with special pens. These devices chat with each other and can even alert doctors if something’s wrong, which could save lives.

Once they gather all this data, IoT devices send it to a special place called the cloud so doctors can use it.

So, using IoT in healthcare can make patients healthier, help healthcare professionals work better, and keep things running smoothly.

Using IoT like AIScreen can help me and my colleagues better track patient health and make faster, more informed decisions, ultimately improving patient outcomes.

How IoT Helps In Healthcare — Process

Here’s how IoT healthcare works:

1. A sensor gathers info from patients, doctors, or nurses.

2. Smart algorithms, like those in Machine Learning, study the data.

3. The device decides what to do next: either take action or send the data to the cloud.

4. Doctors use the info from IoT healthcare to make smart decisions and take action.

What is the Current State of IoT in Healthcare?

The healthcare industry is seeing more and more use of IoT tech. New gadgets and government-backed projects are pushing this growth.

As mentioned earlier, the healthcare IoT market is expected to grow fast, about 17.8% each year until 2028, reaching a value of $289.2 billion.

Here are some other important numbers:

• In 2022, services made up 59% of the revenue.
• Hospitals brought in 35% of the revenue in 2022.
• In the Asia Pacific region, the market is expected to grow by 18.50% each year from 2023 to 2032.

Different parts of the world use IoT in healthcare differently:

• North America leads with 40.30% of the revenue share in 2022.
• Asia Pacific follows with 20.60%, while Europe has 25.70%.
• Latin America has 9%, and the Middle East and Africa (MEA) have 4.40%.

Healthcare settings, including hospitals and homes, are increasingly adopting IoT devices like fitness trackers and smartwatches. Special sensors, even ingestible ones, monitor medication adherence and body signs, while advanced tech like computer vision aids in early disease detection.

IoT enables remote patient monitoring, reducing hospital visits, advancing treatments, and promoting healthier outcomes.

Ten Internet of Things (IoT) Healthcare Examples

1. Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM)

Wearable gadgets like smartwatches or sensors keep track of your health stats automatically, like body temperature or blood pressure.

Instead of only getting these stats at the doctor’s office, these devices send the info straight to healthcare pros, even recommending treatments or raising alerts if something’s off. But, there’s a worry about hackers trying to nab this private data.

So, healthcare companies need to make sure these IoT devices have strong security to keep your info safe, following laws like GDPR or HIPAA.

2. Glucose Monitoring

Wearable glucose monitors track sugar levels and can alert doctors or provide insulin automatically.

They streamline monitoring, cut paperwork, and errors, while empowering patients to manage their health better. Despite challenges like size and energy efficiency, experts are confident in finding solutions.

3. Heart-Rate Monitoring

Heart-rate monitors, like smartwatches, are portable and track your heartbeat round-the-clock, including during sleep. They’re handy for catching fluctuations in your heart rate throughout the day, offering mobility compared to wired monitors.

While not as precise as hospital machines, they’re still reliable, with modern versions boasting around 90% accuracy, offering a convenient and cost-effective option for many.

4. Hand Hygiene Monitoring

Hospitals rely on smart devices to promote cleanliness by reminding people to wash their hands regularly, crucial for patient safety, especially for those who are critically ill.

While they can’t physically enforce handwashing or room cleaning, the reminders alone contribute significantly, reducing infections by approximately 60% where implemented.

5. Depression or Mood Monitoring

Healthcare devices can gauge mood and mental health by monitoring heart rate and even eye movements.

Unlike relying solely on patient reports, which can be unreliable, these gadgets provide objective data, though they’re not flawless at predicting conditions like depression. Overall, they offer valuable insights into mental well-being, complementing traditional methods.

6. Parkinson’s Disease Monitoring

IoT devices are revolutionizing Parkinson’s treatment by tracking symptoms round-the-clock. This saves patients from long hospital stays and promotes independence. Though accuracy is a concern, ongoing research aims to address it, prioritizing patients’ autonomy over minor inaccuracies.

7. Connected Inhalers

Connected medical devices like smart inhalers connect to your phone, reminding and instructing you on medication use, crucial for managing conditions like asthma and COPD, potentially preventing unexpected attacks.

Connected inhalers help patients in a few ways:

• They help you keep track of when you take your medicine.
• They give you info about what might be causing your symptoms, like pollen levels.
• They show you how to use the inhaler correctly.
• They warn you about things like seasonal triggers and high pollen levels.

IoT devices facilitate the work of medical professionals as well by:

• They give reports on how patients are taking their medicine.
• They provide info to help adjust patient care.
• They warn about any strange or unexpected medicine use.
• They allow doctors to keep an eye on patients even when they can’t visit them in person.

8. Ingestible Sensors

These medical devices are like tiny sensors you swallow, shaped like a pill. They’re meant to gather info about your body, like the stomach’s acidity or if there’s any bleeding inside. Doctors used to collect this data with cameras inserted into the digestive tract, which many patients found uncomfortable.

But with these sensors, it’s much easier and less messy. They just pass through your body or dissolve on their own, so there’s no need for invasive procedures.

But this healthcare technology breakthroughs is still new, and these sensors need to be small enough to swallow easily. Companies are working hard to make them better, though, so they’ll likely improve soon.

9. Connected Contact Lenses

These special contact lenses have a camera and sensor, helping people see better and spot early signs of diseases. They’re important because eye problems can develop slowly without us noticing.

These lenses can even detect diseases like diabetes early. But, there’s a risk of hackers spying on users through the lenses, so it’s important to choose trusted companies with good security measures.

10. Robotic Surgery

Doctors are employing internet-connected tiny robots for surgeries to enhance precision and minimize errors, requiring smaller incisions for faster patient recovery.

Despite the need for small and reliable devices for surgery, advancements in technology have made them increasingly popular and effective. Ensuring the security of these internet-connected devices is crucial to safeguard patient information.

With AIScreen, we can enhance our surgical procedures by leveraging real-time data insights, ensuring better patient outcomes and safety during operations.

Benefits of IoT in Healthcare

Simultaneous Reporting and Monitoring

The Global RPM systems market is expected to reach over $175.2 billion by 2027, showing a big demand for remote patient monitoring tech.

Connected devices can help monitor health in real-time, sending data to doctors or the cloud via smartphone apps, reducing readmission rates for conditions like heart failure by 50%.

These devices collect various health data like blood pressure and weight, storing it in the cloud for access by authorized users anytime, anywhere.

End-to-End Connectivity and Affordability

IoT technology in healthcare uses mobile solutions and new tech to automate patient care and improve workflow in modern facilities. It enables easy communication between devices, AI, and data sharing, making healthcare more effective.

By using connectivity protocols like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, healthcare providers can innovate treatments, reduce costs, and improve resource allocation by minimizing unnecessary visits and using high-quality resources.

Data Assortment and Analysis

Healthcare devices send a lot of data quickly, but storing and managing it without cloud access is tricky. IoT devices can collect, report, and analyze real-time info, reducing the need to store raw data and providing final reports to healthcare providers.

This helps organizations get important analytics and insights faster, making decision-making quicker and more accurate.

Tracking and Alerts

IoT medical devices collect vital signs and send data to doctors for real-time tracking, while also alerting users via mobile apps and smart sensors.

Reports and alerts help doctors make informed decisions and provide timely treatment, regardless of location or time. IoT enables real-time tracking and monitoring, improving accuracy, intervention, and overall patient care delivery.

Remote Medical Assistance

Patients can reach distant doctors during emergencies using mobile apps, while medics can diagnose ailments on the spot with healthcare mobility solutions.

IoT-based healthcare chains are developing machines to dispense drugs based on patient data from linked devices, improving hospital care and reducing healthcare costs for patients.

Research

IoT healthcare apps help gather lots of patient data quickly, saving time and money for medical research.

This data can be used for statistical studies, supporting the development of better medical treatments. IoT also improves existing healthcare devices by adding smart chips, enhancing patient care and assistance.

Challenges of the IoT in Healthcare

Data Security & Privacy

Implementing a virtual private network app can help encrypt data transmitted between devices, adding an extra layer of security to protect sensitive healthcare information.

Hackers can misuse this data to create fake IDs, buy drugs, file fraudulent insurance claims, posing risks to patient safety and privacy. Additionally, using the best antivirus software on connected systems can help detect and block malware that may attempt to exploit vulnerabilities in IoT networks.

Integration: Multiple Devices & Protocols

In healthcare, integrating multiple devices with IoT is challenging because manufacturers use different communication protocols and standards.

This mismatch makes it hard to aggregate data from various devices, slowing down the process and limiting scalability. Uniformity in protocols is needed to make IoT in healthcare more efficient and scalable.

Data Overload & Accuracy

In healthcare, IoT devices collect loads of data, but different protocols make it hard to put it all together.

This huge amount of data makes it tough for doctors to get useful insights, affecting their decisions and patient safety. As more devices connect and gather more data, this challenge grows bigger.

Cost

It’s surprising to find cost as a challenge in healthcare with IoT. Healthcare is still expensive, leading to “Medical Tourism” where people seek cheaper treatment abroad.

While IoT in healthcare is promising, it hasn’t made healthcare affordable yet. To make IoT in healthcare accessible to all, it needs to become cost-effective for everyone, not just the wealthy.

15 IoT Applications in the Connected Healthcare Space

1. QardioCore is a special device that helps you keep track of your health by monitoring your heart continuously. You can wear it while you go about your day, and it sends info to your doctor, helping them keep an eye on things like blood pressure and cholesterol.

2. Zanthion is like a safety watch that patients wear. It has sensors to tell if someone falls or stays still for too long, and it sends alerts to family or friends so they can help.

3. ScreenCloud is used in hospitals to show videos and info that help patients feel less stressed while waiting.

4. Up by Jawbone is a fitness tracker that does more than count steps. It keeps track of weight, sleep, and diet, helping people make healthier choices.

5. Wireless sensors from Sensor Metrix are used in hospitals to make sure things like blood samples and medicine stay at the right temperature.

6. NHS test beds are beds that track patients’ health data, helping them and their doctors keep track of their progress.

7. Swallowable sensors are pills that help diagnose problems in the digestive system, like irritable bowel syndrome.

8. Propeller’s Breezhaler device is a sensor that helps people manage asthma. It attaches to an inhaler and keeps track of when it’s used, helping doctors and family members manage the condition better.

9. In 2014, Google announced a smart contact lens project supported by Novartis. This lens has “non-invasive sensors, microchips and other miniaturized electronics” inside it. It can check for diabetes and help people see better, especially those who need glasses for reading.

10. Takeda is testing an Apple Watch app to help people with depression track their mood outside of doctor appointments.

11. UroSense is a catheter that monitors urine output and body temperature, helping doctors catch infections early.

12. The Medication Dispensing Service helps people manage their medication by giving reminders and tracking missed doses.

13. AwarePoint is a system that tracks patients and medical equipment in hospitals, helping staff work more efficiently.

14. Kinsa makes smart thermometers that can detect illnesses and help doctors track how illnesses spread.

15. Chrono Therapeutics makes patches that deliver medication through the skin throughout the day, helping manage symptoms better.

These devices make it easier to keep track of and manage health conditions, whether you’re at home or in the hospital. It’s like having a personal assistant for your health!

Conclusion

In conclusion, IoT healthcare applications in connected healthcare are transforming patient care, making it more efficient, accessible, and personalized. From remote patient monitoring to smart sensors and wearable devices, IoT technology is revolutionizing how we manage our health.

Despite challenges like data security and integration, the benefits of IoT in healthcare are undeniable, promising improved patient outcomes and reduced healthcare costs.

As a leading digital signage provider, AIScreen plays a crucial role in enhancing healthcare facilities by providing innovative solutions for communication and patient engagement. With IoT, the future of healthcare looks brighter than ever, offering hope for a healthier and more connected world.

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