IoT has become a buzzword in recent times. Just like all other industries, the healthcare industry is also leveraging the power of IoT for better delivery of healthcare services. With IoT, the way how healthcare organizations Operation has changed a lot. It allows the patients to stay connected with their healthcare providers even after they leave the Clinic and Hospital of the doctors.
The value of IoT in the healthcare sector was $56.1 billion in the year 2017. However, the revenue is anticipated to reach $267.6 billion by the year 2023. The demand for IoT in the healthcare industry is sure to increase in the coming years, owing to its vast applications.
Ways IoT is Changing Healthcare Industry
In the healthcare sector, the main customers of IoT solutions are patients, healthcare professionals, hospitals, and health insurance companies. IoT benefits all these entities in a number of ways. Here are some of the prominent ways in which the Internet of Things is bringing about change in the healthcare sector.
Before the emergence of IoT, patient-doctor interaction was only limited to text and telecommunication, and visits. However, with IoT, it is now possible for healthcare professionals to monitor the health( Walking steps, Body fat level, Blood Sugar, BP Level) of the patients continuously and provide recommendations accordingly. It especially proves to be beneficial for patients with chronic illnesses.
IoT has become a buzzword in recent times. Just like all other industries, the healthcare industry is also leveraging the power of IoT for better delivery of healthcare services. With IoT, the way how healthcare organizations operate has changed a lot. It allows the patients to stay connected with their healthcare providers even after they leave the office (Clinic and Hospital)of the doctors.
The value of IoT in the healthcare sector was $56.1 billion in the year 2017. However, the revenue is anticipated to reach $267.6 billion by the year 2023. The demand for IoT in the healthcare industry is sure to increase in the coming years, owing to its vast applications.
- Enables Real-time Activity Tracking
In order to create the right treatment plan, the doctors require information relating to the fitness level and lifestyle of the patients. While this may seem to be challenging, IoT makes this possible. The use of IoT-based activity trackers can help in tracking the fatigue levels, movement, appetite, etc., of the patients. The data can be directly sent to the healthcare professionals, who can then develop the appropriate treatment plan.
- Effective Glucose Monitoring
Diabetes patients need to keep a regular check on their blood glucose levels. However, not everyone takes it seriously. This, in turn, results in fatal incidents. The sudden increase or decrease of blood sugar below the standard level can have a significant impact on the health of individuals.
With the evolution of IoT tracking, blood sugar level has become relatively easy. The glucose monitoring systems that come with sensors are implanted below the skin of diabetes patients. The sensor is connected to the mobile devices of patients and sends information when the glucose levels become too low. Moreover, it also helps in recording the historical data relating to the sugar level of the patients. This lowers the risk for the patients significantly and keeps their blood sugar levels in check.
- Reduces Medication Errors
Medication errors or missing medicine dosages can be risky for the health of the patients. At times, medicines are not taken as prescribed by the doctors due to human error or forgetfulness. This can result in a negative health impact. However, with IoT, this problem can be easily solved. The IoT-based ingestible sensors can be swallowed by the patients like the pills. The sensors help in relaying information to the mobile app of the patients. It ensures that the patients take the right medicines in the right dosages and at the right time.
Moreover, the ingestible sensors can also help in the accurate diagnosis of the patients. The IoT-based devices like medicine dispensers can also notify the patients when to refill their medicines. They can even inform the healthcare professionals about the missed dosages of the patients and enable them to prepare an appropriate care plan.
- Heart Monitoring and Reporting
Heart monitoring, as well as reporting, has become possible with the emergence of IoT. Through IoT-based wearable devices, patients can easily monitor their own heart rates. It helps in determining whether the blood pressure level of the individuals is high or not.
The wearable devices can also provide reports to the healthcare providers relating to the heart data of the patients. They can alert the doctors when patients experience palpitations, heart attacks, or strokes. This, in turn, can help the patients to get medical care at the right time and save their lives.
There is a wide range of expenses involved in healthcare organizations. The use of IoT has significantly lowered these expenses. For instance, a lot of medications as well as blood samples get wasted owing to improper storage. IoT helps the healthcare organization store the medications and blood samples in a proper manner.
Conclusion
IoT has become the need of the hour for healthcare organizations in order to ensure seamless connectivity among patients and doctors. It allows healthcare professionals to easily monitor the health of patients remotely and deliver them the essential care. The use of IoT in the healthcare industry ensuresthe delivery of better care to patients.
It helps in enhancing the patient experiences and improving the accuracy of diagnosis through real-time patient data. In addition to these, IoT in healthcare helps in reducing the chances of errors and saves operational costs. IoT is set to become the next big trend in the healthcare industry and enhance patient care significantly.
