IoT in Healthcare: How Connected Devices are Shaping the Medical Field

The future is unfolding right before us, particularly through IoT in healthcare innovations. Smart hospitals with real-time data analysis devices and advanced wearable health trackers are just the tip of the iceberg. The progress in IoT development is just warming up.

Get ready for this: the IoT healthcare market is forecasted to grow from $128 billion in 2023 to an impressive $289 billion by 2028. That’s huge and highlights the substantial investments IoT attracts, which fuels even more innovation. And with the global population aging like a fine wine, the demand for IoT medical devices to monitor patient vitals will only keep growing. Ignoring this opportunity would be like skipping your annual check-up—a serious misstep.

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So, what’s the game plan? In this article, we’ll help healthcare organizations tap into IoT’s potential. We’ll try to describe what IoT is, how it impacts healthcare, its benefits, and the challenges it brings along.

What is IoT?

The Internet of Things (IoT) is essentially a network of smart devices embedded with sensors, all connected to the Internet. These devices  collect, process, and exchange heaps of data with each other and other systems.

IoT in healthcare, often dubbed as IoMT solution or Internet of Medical Things, takes this concept and tailors it exclusively for the medical field. It builds a network of medical gadgets, software, and tech tools to track patient health, manage treatments, and help with surgeries. These IoT devices in healthcare are designed according to industry standards, ensuring accuracy, reliability, and compliance with health regulations.

From wearable health monitors tracking your heart rate and blood oxygen levels to sophisticated systems like smart hospital beds that adjust themselves to prevent bedsores, IoMT devices are diverse and incredibly useful.

The Transformative Impact of IoT in Healthcare

The capacity of IoT medical devices to gather and analyze extensive real-time data presents a significant opportunity for enhancing healthcare and making it more accessible. IoT replaces part of the visits to the doctor with telemedicine solutions and online consultations, saving time and costs. Patients no longer need to go to the hospital unnecessarily or endure long waits; instead, they can easily access consultations, treatments, and even conduct medical tests remotely.

Due to IoT technology, doctors and medical personnel can view and analyze patient reports, ongoing treatments, and medical histories to provide more personalized and effective care. 

Generally, all sorts of patient monitoring systems equipped with IoT sensors continuously track health conditions and provide real-time health status. If certain parameters go beyond the norm, they can communicate with other devices to take necessary actions that would help save someone’s life. At the same time, this data is sent to the cloud so that doctors can swiftly respond to an emergency situation and provide timely care.

Beyond improving patient outcomes, IoT in healthcare boosts the productivity of medical staff and streamlines hospital processes.  Current IoT applications excel at managing patient data, scheduling appointments, and sending automated health notifications and reminders. So, the game-changing impact of IoT in healthcare is real and beyond doubt.

Applications of IoT in Healthcare

IoT transforms traditional, old-fashioned treatment methods, bringing new approaches and opportunities to address flaws in the healthcare system, such as outdated processes, supply chain inefficiencies, and lack of interoperability.

Smart Medical Devices

Patients suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma, or hypertension can enjoy the benefit of IoT in healthcare through wearable devices that monitor corresponding health metrics. These monitoring devices, from fitness trackers and smartwatches to temperature and smart blood pressure monitors, collect patient data such as oxygen levels, blood pressure, and heart rate. This information offers insights into how lifestyle impacts their condition, helping individuals make healthier choices. Upon detecting irregular health indicators, wearables alert users to potential problems and recommend how to deal with them.

Glucose monitors, blood pressure cuffs, and other home-based IoT devices, for example, can automatically record readings and send this information to healthcare providers. With this real-time data, doctors can update treatment plans and change medications, often avoiding the need for an in-person visit.

IoT healthcare companies continuously work on improving devices to make them more accurate and user-friendly so that patients of all ages can easily introduce them into their daily lives.

Hospital Operations and Asset Management

IoT helps medical personnel spend less time on management and routing tasks. Asset tracking is an area that can benefit a lot from applications of IoT in the healthcare industry. IoT-enabled devices monitor the location and status of basic supplies and expensive medical equipment like wheelchairs, defibrillators, and portable monitors. Although it might seem mundane, knowing the status and location of items can minimize costs and efficiency losses, especially when staff are overburdened and unable to find the necessary equipment. IoT can save time, resources, and potentially lives when deployed properly.

Energy management that is more sustainable and efficient is possible thanks to IoT. Imagine how much energy and operational costs hospitals can save with smart sensors and meters that control lighting, heating, and air conditioning systems in real-time. In doing so, healthcare facilities can help create a greener healthcare infrastructure.

Managing patient flow, especially during peak times, is not an easy task, but IoT can help here, too. Hospitals can better manage patient admissions by using IoT devices for patient flow optimization, minimizing waiting times and overcrowding, which improves patient experience.

Telemedicine and Remote Monitoring

Smart connected devices can constantly monitor patients’ vitals, such as heart rate, blood pressure, glucose levels, and more, outside the hospital setting.  Additionally, these devices can track mood monitoring, providing comprehensive insights into a patient’s overall well-being. This is a true relief for chronically ill patients who now don’t need to visit hospitals frequently for routine checkups. Most of their follow-ups, as well as the continuous oversight over their health conditions, can be well managed remotely.

While nothing can replace face-to-face experience, doctors can track patient’s conditions through remote patient monitoring tools and provide medical advice through video consultations. A continuous flow of relevant information allows for personalized care plans, as physicians can adjust treatments based on the received data. Telemedicine solutions offer convenient online consultations for those living in remote areas and elderly patients while also easing the load on healthcare facilities.

Medication Management

Adherence to prescribed drug regimens can mean the difference between recovery and relapse. This challenge has been addressed by an IoT application in healthcare: wearables and devices that remind patients to take their medications on time. For example, smart pill bottles have sensors to track when the bottle is opened and send patients notifications if they miss a dose. Caregivers who monitor patients can also receive alerts on a patient’s missing dose to provide timely support and ensure the continuity of care. By analyzing the patient’s compliance history, doctors can understand the effectiveness of prescribed drugs and adjust treatment plans.

IoT in Healthcare: Real-life Examples

IoT in medical services allows for improving customer experience and saving time. So, it’s not surprising that many companies invest in IoT technology to develop software and devices to bring even more convenience, simplicity, and accessibility to the sector. We have selected the IoT in healthcare examples that have found wide use and made patients’ lives comfortable. 

• Kinsa Smart Thermometers collect information on individuals’ temperature and send it to a mobile app via Bluetooth. The application keeps the history of temperature records and can thus help identify health trends and potential outbreaks. 
• Inspiren’s iN Ecosystem. This system intends to improve patient experience and their stay in the hospital. It uses a network of sensors, analytics tools, computer vision, and other technology to track various factors such as room visits by staff, patient movement, and even the time since the last interaction with a healthcare professional. Thus, their IoT-based ecosystem helps create more responsive and attentive care experiences.
• Dexcom Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) System is an IoT device that provides real-time glucose level monitoring for diabetes management. It consists of a small sensor that measures and wirelessly sends glucose readings to a smart device, alerting users to potential episodes of hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia that require quick corrective actions.

Challenges of IoT in Healthcare

Developing devices with sensors to boost the quality of care, medical adherence, and patient experience is a high-tech solution to very human problems. It can provide doctors with unparalleled insight and help deliver timely care, but this comes with the challenges healthcare organizations should be aware of before adopting the IoT solution.

Data Security

Cybersecurity challenges in using IoT in healthcare are very relevant and sharp. Medical patient information is highly confidential, and its transmission over the Internet increases the risk of breaches. That’s why healthcare organizations should build high protection of patient records to strengthen IoT security in healthcare by:

• Encryption: Encrypting data both at rest and in transit ensures that even if data is intercepted, it cannot be read without the proper decryption keys. With this added layer, it’s much less likely that someone without permission can get in.
• Secure Communication Protocol: Implementing secure communication protocols, such as TLS/SSL, ensures that data exchanged between IoT devices and healthcare systems is protected from interception and tampering.
• Access Control: Setting different levels of access to information based on user roles helps protect sensitive data. Only authorized personnel should have access to critical patient information, reducing the risk of data breaches.
• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): MFA requires users to provide multiple forms of verification before granting access to systems and data. This enhanced security layer markedly lowers the risk of unauthorized access.

Interoperability

Siloed data often prevents comprehensive patient care, as disparate systems cannot effectively communicate or share information. Plus, many IT infrastructures are running on legacy systems that complicate seamless integration with modern digital solutions and consequently the information exchange between different platforms. Hospitals face difficulties leveraging IoT solutions fully due to the lack of standardized data-sharing protocols. Without these standards, integrating data from various IoT devices into a cohesive system becomes nearly impossible.

One viable way to solve this issue is the FHIR standard, which helps achieve data interoperability and easy information sharing. Here’s how FHIR can help:

• Standardized Data Sharing: FHIR standardizes how data is formatted and exchanged, ensuring that all systems use the same protocols. 
• Enhanced Collaboration: With FHIR, healthcare providers can access comprehensive patient information in real-time, regardless of the system it originated from.
• Improved Patient Outcomes: With all relevant patient data readily available, healthcare providers can make better-informed decisions.
• Future-Proofing Healthcare Systems: Adopting FHIR not only solves current interoperability challenges but also prepares healthcare systems for future technological advancements.

Ethical Concerns

The simple process of data collection and transmission by these devices causes concerns about privacy and data security. To deal with these issues, it’s recommended:

• Establishing Clear Policies: Patients should know how their data will be used, who will see it, and what security measures are in place. Clear communication about these practices builds trust and ensures patients feel confident using IoT devices.
• Data Minimization: Healthcare organizations should adopt data minimization practices, collecting only the data necessary for providing care and improving health outcomes. Limiting data collection reduces the risk of sensitive information being misused or falling into the wrong hands.
• Informed Consent: Healthcare providers should obtain explicit consent from patients before collecting their data through IoT devices. This process requires clarifying the purpose of data collection, explaining how the data will be used, and outlining the potential risks involved. Patients should have the option to opt-out if they are uncomfortable with the data practices.
• Ethical Use of Data: Patient data should always be used in ways that serve the best interests of users. This means using data to better patient care, upgrade healthcare services, and push forward medical research. It should never be used in a manner that harms patients or compromises their privacy.

Regulatory Landscape of IoT in the Healthcare Industry

The healthcare sector is highly regulated.  Hospitals should verify that their IoT medical devices adhere to various regional and international regulations regarding patient data protection, medical device certification, and healthcare standards.

FDA Guidelines

The FDA has been striving to strengthen the cybersecurity of IoT devices in healthcare since 2005. Recognizing the growing usage of medical devices, the FDA’s most recent draft guidance expects security across the entire product lifespan. 

So, manufacturers should now be able to protect and address any vulnerabilities of their products from initial design to post-market surveillance to ensure proper device functionality and patient safety. They must submit detailed plans and prove that the device can be updated, patched, and protected from any potential security issues. As manufacturers implement stronger security controls into their devices from the start, healthcare organizations and patients can gain confidence in the security of IoT devices.

International Regulations

Most countries have rigorous regulatory and approval processes for IoT in healthcare before devices enter the market and can be used by hospitals and patients.

In the EU, the Medical Device Regulation (MDR) and In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation (IVDR) requirements mandate consideration of IoT medical device cybersecurity. Every medical equipment manufacturer seeking to market products in Europe must meet those requirements to ensure their devices are safe, function as expected, and are protected from security threats. The Medical Device Coordination Group (MDCG) releases thorough guidance documents to assist manufacturers in complying with all MDR and IVDR requirements, especially regarding cybersecurity measures.

IoT in Healthcare: What are Real-life Examples?

Seeing companies invest in IoT technology makes a lot of sense—they’re developing software and devices that bring ease and accessibility to healthcare. We have selected the IoT in healthcare examples that have found wide use and made patients’ lives comfortable. 

Kinsa Smart Thermometers

Kinsa smart thermometers measure body temperature and send the data to a mobile app via Bluetooth. The app tracks temperature histories, helping to identify health trends and potential outbreaks in real-time.

HealthPatch MD

This wearable biosensor from VitalConnect monitors vital signs like heart rate and body temperature. It lets doctors monitor patients’ health from a distance, so they don’t have to visit the hospital as often.

Proteus Digital Health Smart Pills

These ingestible sensors taken with medication communicate with a wearable patch to ensure patients are following their treatment plans. They provide crucial data to healthcare providers to improve medication adherence.

Dexcom Continuous Glucose Monitoring System

The Dexcom CGM System consists of a sensor that measures glucose levels and sends the data to a smart device. It alerts users to potential hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia, allowing them to manage diabetes more effectively.

Hill-Rom Smart Beds

Hill-Rom’s smart hospital beds keep an eye on patient movement, weight, and vital signs, alerting nurses to possible falls or health issues. This ensures better patient safety and higher quality care.

IoT in Healthcare: Future Trends 

As connected devices evolve and see broader use, the future of IoT in healthcare appears very promising and will result in even more transformative changes. Let’s take a glimpse at impact of IoT in healthcare and trends we can expect to see in the near future. 

Healthcare Data Analytics

With the exponential growth of data collected by IoT devices, healthcare organizations are increasingly recognizing the need for advanced data analytics to derive actionable insights. That’s why we will see an increased demand for real-time analytics platforms that can help healthcare organizations turn large volumes of patient data into actionable insights.

• Real-Time Data Integration: Real-time data analytics platforms will become integral to healthcare operations, enabling continuous monitoring and instant analysis of patient data. This will facilitate timely interventions and improve patient outcomes.
• Predictive Modeling: Predictive analytics forecasts patient outcomes, identifies potential health risks, and manages disease outbreaks. Advanced machine learning models evaluate historical and current data to predict future health events, allowing for proactive healthcare management.
• Enhanced Clinical Decision Support: By integrating big data analysis with clinical workflows, healthcare providers can make more informed decisions. Advanced analytics can identify trends and patterns that might not be evident through traditional methods, supporting personalized treatment plans and improving diagnostic accuracy.

AI-Integrated IoT Healthcare Systems

When it comes to combining AI and IoT in healthcare, chances are together they will improve the way doctors approach diagnostics and disease detection. AI’s capability to rapidly and accurately analyze large datasets collected from IoT devices offers a significant advantage over traditional diagnostic methods.

• Early Disease Detection and Prevention: AI can detect subtle patterns in patient data indicating the early stages of diseases, which allows for earlier intervention and more effective prevention strategies.
• Automated Imaging Analysis: AI-powered imaging tools can analyze medical images with greater accuracy and speed than human radiologists. These tools identify anomalies in X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans, enhancing diagnostic accuracy and decreasing the chances of missed conditions.
• Intelligent Patient Monitoring: AI can enhance patient monitoring by continuously analyzing data from wearable devices and other IoT sensors. This real-time analysis can alert healthcare providers to critical changes in a patient’s condition, enabling immediate interventions and reducing the risk of adverse events.

5G’s Impact on Healthcare IoT

5G technology is set to bring significant advancements in remote patient monitoring, doctor-patient communication, and telemedicine due to its high-speed, low-latency internet connection. This will facilitate a range of applications that improve patient care and healthcare delivery.

• Advanced Remote Patient Monitoring: 5G will enable more sophisticated remote patient monitoring systems, allowing for continuous tracking of vital signs and health metrics. This can improve chronic disease management by providing real-time data to healthcare providers, enabling timely adjustments to treatment plans.
• Enhanced Telemedicine Services: The high-speed connectivity of 5G will enhance telemedicine services, enabling high-quality video consultations and real-time data sharing. This initiative will expand healthcare access, notably for those in remote and underserved areas.
• Remote Surgery and Robotics: With 5G technology, remote patient surgery and robotic-assisted procedures will become a reality. Surgeons will be capable of performing complex procedures from afar with virtually no delay, making specialized surgical care more accessible.
• Real-Time Emergency Response: IoT devices equipped with 5G connectivity can provide immediate alerts and detailed patient data to emergency responders. For example, an internal defibrillator can notify emergency room cardiologists of an incoming patient, complete with real-time health metrics and history, enabling quicker and more informed responses. This ability to collect patient data ensures healthcare providers are always prepared to deliver the best possible care in critical situations.

Future Innovations in IoT Healthcare

Exciting new developments in IoT healthcare are on the way, bringing fresh methods to monitor, diagnose, and treat patients.

1. Brain Swelling Sensors

Current Scenario: Monitoring brain swelling often relies on CT scans, which are expensive, time-consuming, and involve radiation exposure.

Emerging Innovation: Implantable or wearable sensors could continuously monitor intracranial pressure, a key indicator of brain swelling. These sensors could be:

• Biocompatible and minimally invasive: Implanted near the skull or integrated into catheters during procedures.
• Wireless and transmit data in real-time: Allowing for continuous monitoring and early detection of swelling.
• AI-powered analysis: Software could analyze sensor data to identify trends and predict potential complications.

2. Ingestible Sensors

Current Scenario: Monitoring internal health often involves invasive procedures like endoscopies.

Emerging Innovation: Ingestible sensors inside human bodies offer a non-invasive way to monitor gut health, track medication adherence, and diagnose digestive issues. These ingestible sensors could be:

• Capsule-shaped and digestible: Designed to pass through the digestive system naturally.
• Equipped with various sensors: To measure pH, temperature, pressure, and even record images.
• Transmit data wirelessly: Relaying information about gut health to a wearable device or smartphone app.

3. Smart Contact Lenses

Current Scenario: Contact lenses primarily address vision correction.

Emerging Innovation: Smart contact lenses are being developed to:

• Monitor vital signs: Like blood sugar levels or tear composition for diagnosing dry eye or other conditions.
• Augment vision: Projecting information onto the user’s retina, potentially aiding individuals with vision impairments.
• Track eye movement and focus: Providing insights into cognitive function, fatigue, or even potential neurological conditions.

IoT in the Healthcare Industry: Final Thoughts 

IoT has already deeply penetrated the medical industry through monitoring systems, smart wearables, and medical devices. The application of IoT in healthcare allows medical employees to reduce costs, improve treatment outcomes, and rely on technology for monitoring patient’s health status. The examples of existing IoT in the healthcare market are vast, and its diversity and impact are only set to grow in the future. Medical practitioners who embrace IoT today will win tomorrow. 

So, if you aim to embrace this shift to more integrated healthcare, our team of experts is ready to help. We’re a healthcare software development company offering a pool of IoT software development and IT consulting services that deliver as per client requirements. 

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