IoT has opened up new avenues in every field, more so in the field of medicine where previously the patient-doctor relation was limited to in-person visits and the occasional testing of vitals. The rise of IoT trends has enabled constant interaction and monitoring of the patients, without compromising on the quality. Such facility is possible with the help of IoT devices and sensors – monitoring, wearables for remote tracking, apps for taking care of the elderly, and online pharmacy apps to deliver medicines at your doorstep!
IoT in the medical field is implementing IoMT (Internet of Medical Things) applications to digitize the treatment and framework of the hospitals and the way they work. This digital approach is beneficial to everyone involved:
- IoT beneficial to the patients – IoT devices help patients keep track of their health with the help of wearables, sensors, and other health trackers. The data collected is transmitted to the cloud, which is then analyzed by the physician for meaningful insights. Appointments and consultations are online, enabling a hassle-free treatment.
- IoT beneficial for physicians – Thanks to IoT devices, clinicians are now able to monitor the patient’s health round the clock. They are able to attend to emergency cases remotely, download reports from the cloud, and chart a treatment and exercise regime for the patients – all this remotely.
- IoT beneficial for hospitals – With IoT devices fitted on hospital equipment, tracking them is no longer a herculean task. Staff tasks, pharmacy inventory, hygiene monitoring – everything is monitored remotely and can be revisited to improve the framework for better efficiency.
- IoT is beneficial for insurance companies – IoT brings more transparency and clarity into the patient records, which plays a major role in insurance. With all information on the cloud, the insurance companies have access to any data, which makes their work much easier.
A few real-life uses of IoT in medical care will help you understand the importance and need of such devices:
- Mood-driven devices – In today’s age where everyone is battling with mental stress more than physical stress, depression and mood swings are creating many a problem for many. With these IoT devices on a person’s wrist, the mood is analyzed and impulses sent to the brain to lighten the intensity of brain activity. This is beneficial for getting insights into a person’s mood and the underlying causes.
- Ingest sensors – These are a kind of pills that are safe to ingest that help monitor a patient’s health, analyze the symptoms and devise a way to avoid any health issues. These are helpful for patients who are not regular with their intake of medication and health checks.
- Augmented Reality – With AR, the precision of surgeries has improved manifold. The surgeries are also recorded for data analytics to track the validity of actions and for the betterment of future surgeries.
Most medical centers have already adopted the IoT medical advancements and are reaping the benefits immensely. IoT enables the expansion of healthcare facilities and is a convenient way forward, especially for the elderly. The advancements will truly mark the progress of the world. #IoMT
