IoT applications in Healthcare
By offering creative approaches to routine chores like patient monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment, the Internet of Things is revolutionising healthcare in many concrete ways. These advancements greatly enhance the experience of the patients.
In addition to receiving better care, they also benefit from drastically lower expenses. IoT accomplishes that in a variety of ways. Here is a detailed examination of the main IoT uses in healthcare.
Remote patient monitoring (RPM)
Health metrics are automatically gathered by wearable technology, including smartwatches, phones, and wearable sensors. These remote patient monitoring devices gather medical data, like blood pressure, body temperature, body fat percentage, and more, and use that data to prescribe medical interventions or send out alarms.
A stay at the medical facility would be necessary to collect data for many conditions that call for ongoing health monitoring. RPM mainly resolves this problem by giving healthcare professionals access to a steady flow of information that enables them to deliver high-quality remote patient care to even the most remote regions.
Glucose monitoring
Wearable or embedded sensors that automatically check a patient’s blood sugar levels, record the information, and notify medical experts are examples of glucose monitoring systems. Certain implantable devices can even be programmed to provide insulin automatically when required.
More significantly, these medical gadgets let patients keep a closer eye on their blood sugar levels. A higher quality of life can result from certain gadgets’ ability to automatically control insulin levels. which together result in more accurate patient care and monitoring.
Heart-rate monitoring
IoT devices that monitor a patient’s heart rate are already portable, in contrast to glucose monitoring equipment. A person’s heart rate or other vital signs can already be easily and continuously monitored by a number of gadgets, such as smartwatches or Internet of Things sensors. As a result, information can be gathered even when the patient is asleep. The patient’s electronic medical records may then contain that information.
Since heart rate variability is influenced by a variety of activities throughout the day, it is more difficult to monitor than glucose. Patients can avoid hospital visits while still having their condition monitored with continuous cardiac monitoring. These gadgets can also be used as emergency response systems, warning medical personnel if a patient’s heart rate deviates from normal.
Hand hygiene monitoring
Many hospitals and other healthcare facilities now use hygiene monitoring IoT devices to maintain cleanliness. These medical devices advise people to wash their hands often or upon entering a room.
Critically sick patients are frequently housed in numerous hospital rooms. Any pathogen introduction could make these patients’ symptoms worse. Any hospital’s operations require appropriate decontamination protocols, even when dealing with comparatively healthy patients.
In addition to reminding individuals to wash their hands, IoT health gadgets can also provide guidance on how to sanitise things or clean hands. Infection rates are thought to drop by 60% in areas where these devices are used.
Depression or mood monitoring
Internet of Things medical equipment can determine a patient’s present emotional state and mental health by tracking biometric data such as blood pressure, heart rate, and other parameters. Even a person’s eye movements can be tracked by more sophisticated IoT devices.
It has historically been difficult to continuously evaluate patients’ mental health. Doctors must periodically assess patients’ emotions to diagnose. However, professionals cannot predict patients’ mood fluctuations, and patients may opt to keep medical history from the professional.
IoT devices’ primary benefit is that they rely on objective biometrics rather than human testimony. These health indicators provide a reliable picture of an individual’s mental health and are not under the patient’s control. Additionally, patients may still be monitored while they sleep.
Parkinson’s disease monitoring
The treatment of Parkinson’s disease patients is one unexpected application of IoT technology in healthcare. These medical gadgets are able to monitor Parkinson’s disease symptoms and how their intensity changes throughout the day.
Parkinson’s disease symptoms are irregular and must be watched. To monitor patients, hospitals usually keep them for a long time. IoT devices greatly simplify this process by automatically gathering patient data. This remote monitoring device improves patient outcomes in a number of ways. In addition to lowering healthcare expenses significantly, it also gives patients greater freedom by reducing the length of time they must spend in hospital rooms.
Connected inhalers
In essence, these Internet of Things gadgets are smart inhalers that are linked to a mobile application. Their function is to periodically remind users to take their medications by means of visual or auditory cues. They can even provide guidance on how to use these inhalers correctly.
The primary problem with diseases like asthma or COPD is that they cause unexpected attacks without warning. Better medicine, timely reviews of care, or improved asthma management in general can save two out of three asthma-related deaths.
Ingestible sensors
As the name implies, these medical gadgets are tiny sensors that are swallowed and made to disintegrate or pass through the digestive system. Many of these gadgets are shaped like pills that people have to consume.
Their goal is to gather different biometric information, such the stomach’s pH level or whether internal bleeding is present.
Patients can select a far less invasive technique by using edible sensors. Because ingestible sensors can disintegrate or transit through a patient’s digestive tract on their own, they are far less dirty and disruptive than previous approaches. Because a medical practitioner does not have to physically place the sensor into the digestive system, the procedure runs more smoothly. Recent developments in medical technology have even raised the prospect of creating tiny, readily absorbed tablets.
Connected contact lenses
These linked gadgets have a camera and a sensor, unlike regular contact lenses. In addition to improving eyesight, these IoT lenses can detect early signs of illness.
The primary problem is that over time, the eyes gradually deteriorate or acquire certain illnesses. These illnesses can occasionally worsen for a long time without the patient seeking treatment. Early indicators of some eye conditions can be detected by connected contact lenses. However, IoT lenses can also identify some general medical issues, like diabetes early on by measuring the glucose levels in the tears.
Last but not least, the technology is being developed by businesses outside the healthcare industry because the cameras in the lenses allow patients to snap images with them.
Robotic surgery
IoT-enabled medical devices are a novel method of surgery. Surgeons can perform surgery on humans by injecting tiny equipment, such as Internet-connected robots, into the body. When an operation calls for precision, professionals employ these to minimise human mistake.
The primary problem is that compared to their robotic equivalents, the incisions needed to perform procedures by hand are larger. Complex operations require greater room for human hands.
Surgeons can do more accurate and efficient procedures when they use these Internet of Things robotic devices. Because the IoT gadgets are easier to insert, the incisions are smaller. Thus, the patient heals faster after less invasive surgery.
These gadgets must be small and reliable to perform complex tasks. Additionally, they must be able to precisely assess the inside circumstances of a patient and make an informed surgical decision.
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