In 2023, data from the American Hospital Association showed that 73% of patients in the US used medical services that utilized IoT technology. IoT, or the Internet of Things, has transformed the medical industry by enhancing connectivity between patients and health services. In this guide, we’ll give examples of medical IoT applications and their benefits.
How is IoT Used in the Medical Industry?
IoT technology is used in the medical industry to improve the protection of patients, provide medical professionals with the data needed to deliver more proactive care and streamline the running operations of hospitals and medical practices.
While the Internet of Things sounds like a complex concept, it is actually fairly simple. IoT refers to smart devices that can connect to systems via the internet. These smart objects collect and exchange data and can even perform tasks autonomously depending on the data input.
1. Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM)
Remote Patient Monitoring refers to wearable medical technology that monitors a patient’s health outside a clinical setting. It works by collecting data and sharing it in real time with the patient’s healthcare provider or even the patients themselves.
Examples of Remote Patient Monitoring
- Smart heart monitoring: Smart heart monitoring systems such as the MYCARELINK heart sends data from a pacemaker or heart device straight to the clinic. It is designed to flag any irregular heartbeats without needing to change or disrupt the patient’s daily routine.
- Continuous glucose monitoring: Continuous glucose monitors allow patients to check their blood glucose levels at any time. The sensor can be attached to the patient’s arm and senses the amount of glucose in the fluid under the skin. These results can be sent directly to the patient’s smartphone and even notify the patient when they need to medicate.
2. Smart Pills
Smart pills were first approved by the FDA in 2017 and work by digitally tracking if a patient has taken their medication. This can be particularly helpful in cases where conditions, such as Dementia or Alzheimer’s, might impact how likely the patient is to remember to take their medication.
Examples of Remote Patient Monitoring Smart Pills
- Smart Aripiprazole: Aripiprazole is prescribed to treat schizophrenia and other manic disorders. In the use of Smart Aripiprazole, a message is sent from the pill after it has been ingested to a wearable patch. This patch transmits a signal to the patient’s smartphone and to their caregivers to ensure the patient is taking their medication as prescribed.
3. Wearable Health Devices
Wearable health devices give users the power to take care of their health by tracking their heart rate and physical activity and reporting the data to health apps. It can be used to gamify sports and fitness as well as monitor progress towards health goals.
Examples of Wearable Health Devices
Apple Watch: Recent models of the Apple Watch not only track health and fitness, such as step tracking, sleep tracking and heart rate. However, they are also trained to alert emergency services if they think you are in danger.
Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) Systems: Wearable systems help patients suffering with Diabetes to detect dysglycemia in real-time, providing a alert when blood glucose levels become dysregulated.
4. Surgical Assistance
IoT has the capability to help increase precision in delicate surgical operations by utilising IoT-connected microrobots that are able to work on delicate body parts like veins and nerves. Not only do these robots help to improve coordination between staff during surgical procedures, but they can enhance the efficiency of surgical procedures.
Examples of IoT Powered Surgical Assistance
Sony Microsurgery Robot: In 2024, Sony announced a new microsurgery robot that works alongside a microscope to operate on extremely small tissues.
5. Smart Hospital Management
Hospital management and operations can be improved by connective IoT devices and processes. Often, there can be gaps in patient data if information is recorded on different systems. Using IoT can allow different systems to share data so that medical professionals can deliver personalized care more efficiently. It can also be used to track and manage inventory levels, and minimize wastage and manage the bed capacity within the hospital.
Examples of Smart Hospital Management
SMART: The NHS in the UK uses SMART, a system that collects bed capacity and patient flow data in trusts across London and the East of England.
SupplyXpert: SupplyXpert is a smart inventory management system that tracks data from medical supplies systems for increased patient safety and accurate prescriptions.
Benefits of IoT in Healthcare
IoT continues to drive change and streamline operations in the healthcare industry. Whilst it’s main benefit is enhanced patient care, other benefits include:
- Real time tracking: Real time tracking allows for faster medical reaction times, which can be the difference between life and death for some patients.
- Operational efficiency: IoT can help increase operational efficiency and improve internal processes, ensuring patients get the best care.
- Data driven predictive insights: IoT can identify patterns and predictions leading to accurate diagnosis and treatments.
- Cost savings: IoT processes can lead to cost savings for both patients and healthcare providers. For example, Remote Patient Monitoring can offer preventative health insights, which can result in more cost-effective treatments and measures.
How Can Alexander Daniels Global Help?
If you’re an organization within the medical industry, our expert team are here to help connect you to IoT professionals, including software developers and IoT engineers.
Alternatively, if you’re a medical professional or working in IoT and looking to make a move into this exciting sector, we welcome you to get in touch. See our career portal to apply for our open job vacancies.
