A Comprehensive Analysis on IoMT Implementation in 2019
Although the healthcare industry has been slower at adopting the technologies associated with the Internet of Things, the growth that it will bring by 2021 will still be in the billions, according to Allied Market Research; $136.8 billion to be exact. The transformation that the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) technology will bring to the healthcare sector will not only be beneficial to patients, but it will create a demand for better treatment options, it will streamline workflow optimization within delivery systems, and it will decrease healthcare costs by providing better healthcare outcomes. With over 3.7 million medical devices currently in use, we are poised to see this number dramatically increase as IoMT connected devices and IoMT implementation continues to create ultimate IoMT technology solutions in the medical industry.
TOP 7 Categories We Will See Expand Healthcare via IoMT Solutions: 1. Fitness Wearables Will Continue to be Popular It is without a doubt that fitness wearables and trackers will continue to be popular as more consumer options are being manufactured to have built-in sensors that collect physical-related data. We may see more smartwatches being made, wristbands, and smart apparel like Under Armour’s smart shoes. Leveraging wearable app development technology, these wearable devices empower the individuals to keep track of their health. Precise healthcare can be administered based on the computation of the collected data through mobile applications.
TOP 7 Categories We Will See Expand Healthcare via IoMT Solutions: 2. Wearable Devices Will Expand to Clinical Use Unlike consumer wearables and trackers, clinical grade wearables will be specifically manufactured for the use of improving specific ailments and chronic conditions. They will take the form of smart belts and chest straps which can detect falls, protect hips, and record heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature.
TOP 7 Categories We Will See Expand Healthcare via IoMT Solutions: 3. Remote Monitoring for Patients May Become the Norm For patients who have acute or chronic diseases, remote patient monitoring devices can help them with recovery time, prevent re-admission, and improve their outcome as they can be observed even after being discharged. Beyond this, remote patient monitoring devices can over access to telemedicine, ensure a patient is adhering to medication and recovery plans, and even alter or change medication regimens at regular intervals without a face-to-face meeting. IoMT based patient healthcare mobility solutions will tremendously cater remote patient care enhancing user experience with instant and on demand doctor consultation.
TOP 7 Categories We Will See Expand Healthcare via IoMT Solutions: 4. Smart Pills May Be Put to Use The idea behind smart pills is to help healthcare providers keep track of medication compliance. Each smart pill has an ingestible sensor within it which activates upon coming into contact with stomach fluids. When the pill is consumed, the data gets transferred to an arm patch which then updates on a smartphone application. This IoMT based Smart Pill is incredibly beneficial to caregivers who are taking care of patients who are suffering from mental diseases, where compliance can be hard to track (like Alzheimer’s).
TOP 7 Categories We Will See Expand Healthcare via IoMT Solutions: 5. Healthcare Will Be Closer to Patients Via Point of Care Devices For individuals who live in remote locations, where access to healthcare may be less accessible, may be able to use point of care devices. These devices would provide preliminary screening procedures, eliminate laboratory setups for tests, and help test for baseline conditions such as drug abuse, infectious diseases, pregnancy, and glucose/cholesterol problems. These devices would be portable and could be placed in community centers as self-serving kiosks, creating an automation-like process. This would increase hospital workflow, automate registration processes, and can be used in conjunction with telemedicine.
TOP 7 Categories We Will See Expand Healthcare via IoMT Solutions: 6. Clinical Devices Will Become Smart Devices The use of digital clinical devices, like digital stethoscopes, could be used to record and store patient’s vitals within the electronic health records. All data would be uploaded and stored to the cloud for later review, be shared with specific healthcare consultants, and allow caregivers to wirelessly deploy point of care options to patients.
TOP 7 Categories We Will See Expand Healthcare via IoMT Solutions: 7. Smart Hospitals Will Rise Up Although all digital devices within hospitals are already considered IoMT, having them interconnected with one another will allow for better patient monitoring, increased workflow optimization, and can be used to manage hospital staff. If monitoring and tracking devices were implemented, inventory management, identification, and patient flow could be optimized.
Are There Challenges in Store for IoMT Implementation? a) There Will be Standardization Problems When we take a look at medical devices on the market today, we see hundreds of thousands of vendors and manufacturers, all of which are scaling up production, cutting time to market, and pushing to make products available. So where does standardization come into play? Without it, these medical devices will be less effective as they may not adhere to FDA guidelines.
Are There Challenges in Store for IoMT Implementation? b) Regulatory Challenges Will be Abundant As new clinical-grade medical devices are prototyped, manufactured, and produced, there will be new challenges for legislators who are in charge of creating regulations. Although there is regulation around patient health information, there are very few laws around medical devices that capture this information.
Are There Challenges in Store for IoMT Implementation? c) It Will Take High Infrastructure Costs The cost associated with implementing cloud computing, creating healthcare apps, and installing the necessary hardware to ensure smooth communication between interconnected devices will have high costs. The initial investment for smart hospitals will be quite high and may be a barrier for years to come.
Are There Challenges in Store for IoMT Implementation? d) There Will Be Data Security Threats Unfortunately, healthcare data is susceptible to cyber attacks, breaches, and hackers who want to secure the data and sell it. In using IoMT, there will be a greater likelihood of data theft, increased data exposure, and an increase of data breaches from both internal and external sources.
Are There Challenges in Store for IoMT Implementation? e) Data Handled Improperly Will Be Unusable If the data that is collected by IoMT devices is not pooled and computed in a clinically relevant way, then the results will be negligible. In order to properly utilize the benefits of the Internet of Medical Things, the data needs to be relayed across all providers and payers.
Despite the fact that there are some obvious challenges for the widespread adoption of the applications in Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), the benefits and enlightenment that these devices can bring to the healthcare sector holds massive weight. Beyond being able to extend the reach of telemedicine, IoMT devices will streamline hospital workflow management, will positively impact patient outcomes, and will optimize healthcare processes, subsequently decreasing healthcare & insurance costs as well.
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