The Internet of Things is transforming various industries globally, healthcare included. Even though the technology is still in its early days, there is plenty of promise about what it can do. Think about wearable fitness devices and how you can access your performance information on your smartphone. That is IoT at its best.
IoT in the healthcare market is spearheading patient care, research, and efficiency in healthcare. This has led to the development of many products, such as wearable fitness trackers and continuous glucose monitors. Our focus in this guide will be on the role of IoT in today’s healthcare market and what the future looks like.
Remote Patient Monitoring
Thirty or twenty years ago, if you had told someone that we would have devices that could help doctors track a patient’s vitals remotely, they would have called it a bluff. IoT-powered fitness devices and wearable sensors allow for continuous monitoring of vital signs like heart rate, oxygen levels, and blood sugar and pressure.
This data is sent to healthcare providers in real-time, allowing early diagnosis and interventions. It also eliminates the need to visit the doctor’s office for simple tests like measuring your blood pressure or tracking your blood sugar levels.
Better Patient Engagement
A little motivation can go a long way in pushing you to complete your daily walk or stay on track with your diet routine. Modern IoT healthcare devices use AI technology to encourage people to stay on track with their fitness goals.
For example, fitness trackers can encourage you to maintain your daily streak of walking 5k steps daily for a month. You can also win rewards by inviting friends and family to join your daily challenges. This increased engagement leads to better adherence to wellness plans and improved overall health.
Personalized Healthcare Services
Our bodies aren’t the same. While some people can afford to stay lean and healthy with moderate workouts, others may need more strict diet and training plans to achieve their goals. As per this important source, IoT devices collect vast amounts of patient data, providing valuable insights into individual health patterns and responses to wellness programs.
Fitness experts, doctors, and nutritionists can use the data to curate more personalized care routines. They can use the data collected during the wellness program to tweak the diet, training, and treatment for better results.
Cost Reduction and Effective Operation
IoT in the healthcare market can optimize data analytics operations, reducing the need to clean and analyze patient data. As mentioned, the latest editions of wearable fitness devices have smartphone apps, complete with a dashboard that provides valuable insight from the data collected.
Medical IoT also reduces the cost of healthcare. Hospitals can cut down on operational expenses that would have been spent checking and collecting patients’ vital signs manually. Also, patients don’t have to worry about traveling to the doctor every couple of days for tests that can be done at home.
Summing Up
The future of IoT in the healthcare market is bright. The latest developments in technology will make healthcare services more affordable. People will play a significant role in their own wellness by using fitness trackers and other health monitoring devices.
