How does the Internet of Things contribute to improving healthcare?
Before the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) in healthcare, medical services were limited to visits and communications, but after its advent, it has taken this field to another level. A research published in MarketsandMarkets revealed that the global medical IoT market size is expected to grow from $127.7 billion in 2023 to $289.2 billion by 2028.
Here are more details about the Internet of Things in healthcare and its most prominent benefits.
First: What is the Internet of Healthcare Things?
The Internet of Healthcare Things, also known as the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), is an ecosystem of connected medical devices and technology solutions designed to serve the healthcare sector that aims to improve access to medical data, increase the efficiency and quality of treatment, and enhance the patient experience.
These systems include a large number of applications and sensors that continuously collect and transmit data for rapid analysis. Smart thermometers, blood glucose meters, inhalers, and blood pressure meters are examples of IoT applications in healthcare, and these devices are used to collect, monitor, and analyze valuable health data.
Second: How is the Internet of Things used in healthcare?
Here are the most prominent use cases of the Internet of Things in healthcare:
- For patients: The Internet of Medical Things offers vast opportunities for monitoring health conditions and preventing various diseases. For example, automated insulin delivery (AID) systems provide immediate treatment to patients, and are particularly useful for elderly patients.
- For healthcare professionals: Connected devices help deliver personalized services and immediate medical care to patients. By continuously monitoring health status, IoT systems allow doctors to make diagnoses with greater accuracy and monitor treatment adherence.
- For hospitals: IoT helps track medical equipment in buildings, monitor hygiene to ensure a sterile environment, and control medication inventory.
- For health insurance companies: Data from IoT systems can enhance claims management processes. Additionally, insurance companies can gain more insight into customer behavior and tailor services based on the data collected by these systems.
Third: What are the benefits of applying the Internet of Things in healthcare?
Here are the most important benefits that the Internet of Things provides to the healthcare sector:
1- Improving the quality of treatment:
Sensors in IoT systems collect valuable data that enables informed decisions and evidence-based treatment for patients. The use of connected devices ensures accurate data and reduces the risk of human error.
Additionally, medical IoT applications help improve medication and treatment adherence management, allowing doctors to track patient adherence to prescriptions and ensure appropriate care is provided, enhancing the quality of services.
2- Improving the patient experience:
IoT healthcare systems help improve patient experience and provide personalized and efficient service. They also enhance remote patient monitoring and provide home care solutions to access healthcare services without the need to travel to the hospital, which is especially beneficial for elderly patients.
The use of these systems also speeds up data processing, reducing the time to diagnosis and making the appropriate decision regarding treatment; this leads to better outcomes for patients and enhances the patient experience in general.
3- Lower costs:
By adopting IoT solutions, healthcare providers can provide real-time consultation and monitoring to patients, significantly reducing the number of visits and hospital stays, all of which leads to a lower overall cost of services.
4- High efficiency:
Medical IoT systems can collect valuable data, allowing medical professionals to analyze electronic health records and gain useful insights. Additionally, IoT, AI, and machine learning technologies working together can automate workflows, help predict diseases, and suggest appropriate treatment options. This means that Medical IoT enhances the efficiency of healthcare delivery.
Fourth: Challenges associated with the use of Internet of Things systems in healthcare:
With all the advantages that IoT systems provide to the healthcare sector, there are many challenges associated with their use, the most prominent of which are:
1- Security and privacy:
Connected devices in IoT systems transmit a large amount of private health information that must be protected from theft; as data breaches in healthcare organizations continue to increase, a report published in the HIPAA Journal revealed a 23% increase in the number of medical records breached in February 2024 compared to the previous year.
This means that healthcare providers leveraging IoT solutions must focus on advanced security measures, and developers must address potential gaps in security systems to protect sensitive data from fraud and theft.
On the other hand, hospitals often use medical equipment and machines for a long period that exceeds the support period provided by the manufacturers, which means they may not receive important security updates, increasing the risk of breaches and data breaches.
2- Connection speed:
Healthcare professionals need to be confident in seamless and fast connectivity between IoT applications, systems and devices. To achieve this, they need to focus on building a fast, scalable and secure IoT infrastructure that supports interactions between all components of IoT systems.
Conclusion:
IoT systems offer many benefits that can drive the healthcare industry forward. Generally, these systems enhance patient experience and quality of care, reduce costs, and improve overall efficiency. On the other hand, they bring some challenges that need to be considered to maintain data security.