IoT in Healthcare

IoT in Healthcare: Benefits, Use Cases ＆ Devices

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No one enjoys spending hours waiting to see the doctor, flipping through old magazines, or mindlessly scrolling on their phone. But what if there was a way to change this unpleasant experience? This is not a far-fetched dream, but rather the potential of the IoT in healthcare. Picture this: your health metrics are constantly monitored by IoT healthcare devices. Your doctor can remotely check your vitals, medication usage, and more – no more scheduling appointments just for a quick check-in.

In 2023, about 74% of physicians in the US were using IoT telehealth services. That means a lot of people skipping the waiting room time! Meanwhile, The global IoT healthcare market is exploding, growing from about $45.97 billion to a projected $305.55 billion (2023 – 2032). It’s like healthcare is finally getting with the times and is overdue for an upgrade!

What is the Internet of Healthcare Things (IoHT)?

The Internet of Healthcare Things (IoHT), also called the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), is essentially a network of connected medical devices and applications. It gathers data in real-time through healthcare IT systems. At its core lies medical devices equipped with Wi-Fi or other wireless techs, forming the backbone of IoHT. These components work together to gather and transmit crucial health data.

IoHT is the adoption of IoT applications, devices, software, and technologies in healthcare. It also defines the protocol through which the medical sensory software, application, or devices communicate the recorded patient’s information to the cloud server network.

The idea of Healthcare IoT can be traced back to the early 2000s, when electronic medical records (EMRs) and telemedicine first began to emerge. During the COVID-19, it really took off and played a crucial role in health monitoring. As IoHT continues to evolve, it promises to further reshape how healthcare is provided and managed.

How does IoT work in healthcare

IoT Medical devices work together in an IoT environment to obtain data from a patient, communicate data with one another, analyze and produce results. The architecture of a HIoT network consists of its topology, that is, the optimal arrangement and connection of its components in a healthcare environment.

The sensor medical device––implanted surgically, swallowed as a smart pill or worn on a body part or applications or other IoT healthcare software––obtains and records physiological data such as; Heartbeat rate, body temperature, electrocardiograph, ECG, etc.
The data is uploaded onto a cloud server system that allows easy access to a Doctor or any other medical personnel who needs to analyze the data for diagnostic or other purposes.
The IoT communication between the medical personnel acting as the user, module, and the sensory device on the patient is secured and the transmission is always maintained.
The medical officer usually a doctor, acting as the user, accesses the IoT communication through a dashboard where he has permission and is able to send and receive data, in communication between the patient, cloud, other connected medical devices. Towards dispensing medical care. Other users might also include, insurance providers and parents/guardians.

Benefits of using IoT in healthcare

The IoHT describes the connected ecosystem of medical devices and applications that collect and share health data. By leveraging IoHT technology, healthcare providers can realize numerous benefits, including:

Real-Time Monitoring: IoT devices help healthcare providers to monitor patients in real-time, and be alerted instantly if such abnormalities occur. It aids doctors and nurses in answering patient needs quickly, to improve care outcomes.
Improved Patient Care: For patients with chronic conditions, IoT technology like wearables allows for continuous monitoring of vital signs such as heart rate and blood glucose levels. The data gives doctors better information about their patients and can lead to more personalized treatment.
Efficient Resource Management: IoT helps hospitals track medical equipment, medications, and even staff in real-time. This minimizes high losses from misplaced assets, and ensures early detection of maintenance issues, it optimizes facility operation and prevents waste.
Faster Emergency Response: In emergency situations, IoT devices can send patient data directly to medical teams and allow them to prepare in advance. Location tracking within hospitals also ensures faster response times, which can be crucial for critical care.
Reduced Human Error: Healthcare providers rely on the accuracy and real-time data that IoT technology provides. As a result of doing so, a patient receives more accurate diagnosis and better decision making, resulting in less risk of a mistake.
Cost Reduction: IoT supports telehealth and remote patient monitoring by reducing the number of in person visits, saving time and money. Real time data can also help hospitals eliminate overhead costs and streamline operations.

Top 7 use cases of IoT in healthcare

The IoT smart healthcare has made significant strides in the healthcare industry. With applications spanning from patient monitoring to virtual assistance, the scope of IoT in healthcare is vast and diverse. Here, we will talk about seven common use cases of IoT in healthcare.

Staff Protection

Probably the most popular smart healthcare use cases are staff protection systems, combining various smart safety devices. They collect comprehensive data about staff well-being and workplace risks and then send it to the cloud. The measurements provided can be used to assess safety conditions, select the right protective measures, and implement necessary actions to enhance staff security (i.e., safety management).

Some examples of such healthcare IoT devices are our H3 Pro Button and LW006 LoRaWAN Smart Badge.

Patient Visibility and Care

Another type of IoT device in healthcare and an element of patient monitoring are patient monitoring devices. Just like staff badges, they should be worn on patients’ wrists or necks to collect data specific to patients; from vital signs and movement patterns to physiological indicators and overall patient condition.

By wearing our badges or wristband beacons, the relevant staff can be distributed in time for emergency help and quickly locate the position of the patients. MOKO’s UT2 Medical Wristband and W3 Pro Smart Wristband can serve as good examples.

Medical Equipment Management

Just like patient monitoring, there are IoT asset tags available to attach to medical equipment to medical equipment to track their location and occupancy status. Hospitals can equip high-value or location-critical equipment, such as wheelchairs, infusion stations, smart beds, and defibrillators, with Bluetooth tags. Such asset tags will prevent misplacement and save time unnecessarily searching. Thus they can also identify underutilized equipment in order to reassign resources and redistribute them to other areas.

For example, using MOKO’s M1P LED Tag and UT1 Paper Asset Tag on wheelchairs or medicine stocks. They help provide location insights on each piece of assets.

Drug Management and Compliance

The use of IoT devices is mainly focused on temperature-sensitive drug monitoring and drug door open/close monitoring, as well as sending notifications for drug taking reminders. Healthcare providers can collect data on temperature-sensitive drug storage and monitor drug cabinet access. This data enables healthcare professionals to ensure medication integrity and patient compliance.

For instance, MOKO’s H4 Temperature and Humidity Sensor and S03D Door Sensor are used to monitor drug storage temperature and track medication fridge access. As a result, healthcare providers can track temperature-sensitive drug storage and collect data on drug cabinet access.

Real-time Emergency Response

Instant help can sometimes save a life, by pushing the panic button, healthcare can be provided in time. The smart emergency response systems can provide faster and more efficient response. These emergency alert devices are worn by those at risk of accidents but do not require constant care – the elderly prone to falls, pregnant women, or those with conditions like vertigo.

Beyond just monitoring, these systems can also perform a vast number of tasks: They are applied to patient tracking, emergency dispensing, medical resource allocation, real-time communication, etc.

When an emergency happens, a simple press of MOKO’S B3 emergency button sends an immediate alert for help.

Indoor Positioning and Navigation

Technological innovations also offer a promising future in indoor positioning systems for healthcare purposes. Some hospitals have already adopted indoor navigation systems. Such systems are autonomous and cut hospital staff’s navigation and coordination costs.

Bluetooth-based iBeacons are at the heart of these systems, providing real-time, turn-by-turn directions and contextual notifications based on a person’s location.

In addition, smart healthcare also uses positioning systems for patient tracking, equipment locating, and emergency response.

Environmental Monitoring and Control

Typically, healthcare facilities use manual intervention to control the hospital environment. The adoption of IoT sensors enables them to get precise, real-time data on environmental parameters, including air quality, temperature, humidity, and infection control parameters.

In addition to gathering environmental data, monitoring systems can also automatically adjust conditions to meet specified safety and health standards.

Types of the IoT medical devices

The Internet of Medical Things includes a wide range of connected devices and technologies facilitating healthcare delivery and management. IoMT solutions can be categorized based on their intended use case and deployment environment:

In-home IoMT - Devices used in or around a patient's home environment.

– Personal emergency response systems (PERS) like panic buttons, emergency buttons
– Remote patient monitoring (RPM) devices such as blood pressure monitors, pulse oximeters, glucose meters
– Telehealth virtual visits

Wearable IoMT - Also known as on-body IoMT, these connected devices are worn on the body.

– Consumer wearables like smartwatches, fitness trackers, ECG monitors
– Medical wearables like glucose monitors, pulse oximeters, smart inhalers
– Implantable devices like pacemakers, insulin pumps, neurostimulators
– Ingestible sensors

Public/Community IoMT - Devices dispersed throughout a region to increase healthcare access.

– Emergency response intelligence
– Point-of-care kiosks
– Mobility services to patients’ vehicles
– Air quality sensors
– Disinfecting robots

In-hospital IoMT - Connectivity within hospitals for advanced patient care and operations.

– Smart hospital beds
– Patient flow management
– Asset trackers using Bluetooth or RFID tags
– Mobile medical cameras
– Environment and energy monitoring
– Hand hygiene monitoring
– Waste management systems

Across home, wearable, public and clinical settings, IoMT devices are enabling ubiquitous health data collection and real-time monitoring to enhance care delivery models.

Challenges in Integrating IoT in Healthcare

Despite the extensive benefits IoT in healthcare boasts, successful implementation requires addressing several challenges:

High cost of maintaining HIoT technologies
Healthcare Internet of Things smart devices, software, and communication protocols need to be periodically updated. Therefore, this routine cost of maintenance and services tends to pile and is not cheap.

Data Overloading & Inaccuracy
The data collected by IoT devices is so much that gaining meaningful insights becomes difficult for doctors, which can result in safety problems for patients. Additionally, ensuring data accuracy and reliability is crucial for effective decision-making.

Multiple devices and protocol integration
The integration of multiple devices might hinder the implementation of the department of IoT in the healthcare sector. The reason for this is that the device manufacturers haven’t reached an agreement on communication protocols and standards, which makes the data integration complex and challenging.

Regulatory Compliance
The healthcare industry is heavily regulated, with evolving regulations to keep pace with IoT innovations. IoT solutions must stringently adhere to these regulations, such as data privacy laws and medical device standards.

Data Privacy and Security Concerns
IoT devices in healthcare collect vast amounts of sensitive patient data, raising critical privacy and security concerns. Safeguarding this information and secure its transmission is of utmost importance.

Conclusion

IoHT technology will drive healthcare towards Healthcare 4.0 and smart hospitals, as IoHT technology continues to evolve. Automated and digitalized medical facilities are what these are. With all of this, everything will be streamlined and digitized – from disease diagnosis to patient monitoring.

The good thing is that the adoption of new technologies such as Bluetooth and WiFi widens the use scenarios for IoHT devices. However, one thing that manufacturers have to work on is the standardization of the industry. Having interoperable devices will propel the widespread adoption of IoHT devices. And when combined with strong security architectures, there is no limit to how high this technology can take us.

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