Why IoMT in Healthcare is important now than ever?
Healthcare industry is one such sector where technology's interruption is always welcomed and questioned equally. However, pandemics like COVID-19 remind us of the importance of implementing the right technologies and automation for this sector. Internet of Medical Things, Mobility, Advanced Analytics, and Cloud have already begun transforming this sector like they enabled transformation in other industries. Not only do this technology helps in effective diagnosis and patient treatments, but at the same time, they help in optimizing the cost.
Thinking how to leverage these digital technologies in your business? Don't worry, you don't have to spare your valuable time and scour the web. This piece will do that for you. Acknowledging the need and vitality of IOMT, we have designed this article to help get an idea about what IOMT is and how this enables the digital transformation of the healthcare industry.
Without much ado, let's move ahead and uncover the trend.
Use of IOMT in Healthcare
The net worth of the internet of medical things is projected to be somewhere near $158.1 billion and this number would only increase in the future. For Pharma, Medical and Healthcare companies to survive the heat of the rising trend, it is important to learn, and manifest changes within the infrastructure.
From cancer treatment to closed-loop insulin delivery, drug management to coagulation testing, there is a dearth of segment where IOMT would drive benefits for the healthcare sector. Of all these, the most important and extremely influential Internet of Things Medical applications include-
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Real-time Patient Health Monitoring
Patients with chronic ailments require regular care. IoT devices have inbuilt sensors that are connected directly to the healthcare service providers via the cloud.
Such a system is equipped in offering personalized care to patients while monitoring their health and heart conditions remotely.
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Personal Emergency Response System
Automating the process of providing timely care to the patients, IOMT has knocked one of the toughest challenges of healthcare. Bluetooth enabled belts are worn by the patients that send alerts and notifications when a patient turns immobile or requires emergency care.
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Fitness Tracking & Diagnosis
Fitness Tracking has been a trend booming in the last few years. These devices are equipped with sensors that can effectively track the health facets of the patients such as heartbeat, blood pressure, etc. This paves way for better and improved care.
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Asset monitoring & Maintenance
Not just the patients but the health of the devices and the healthcare assets are important too. IOMT accounts for remote assessment of the machines and the assets to ensure optimal performance of the same.
Customer Success Story
Innovative American company produces high-end medical devices called Cryogenic Freezers. These are now part of the Medical supply chain combatting the Coronavirus pandemic. Using the Cloud based IoT platform, the company has built a digital platform for remote monitoring and management of such Cryogenic freezers.
Integrating the Medical Space with IOMT Solutions
Without a doubt, the integration of connected equipment and devices fascinates you to revamp your infrastructure. You will start creating a Digital Health infrastructure. However, it is easier said than done. Incorporating IoMT practices within the everyday work culture requires domain knowledge and hands-on practice. Someone with little or no experience in dealing with these devices would not be able to capitalize on the technology.
So, before you decide to re-engineer your infrastructure, here are a few challenges you need to know and be prepared to deal with them.
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Interoperability
The need for open platforms to facilitate the ubiquitous sharing of data is important. The direction of travel must follow a standard platform making it easy for the experts to gather and access data uniformly.
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Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks
Cybersecurity is sure to be one of your important considerations when opting for a digitally connected infrastructure. With so many devices producing loads of data, safeguarding and protecting the data privacy is important but challenging.
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Maintaining device connectivity
Another important segment is to assure error-free connectivity of the devices. IoT is all about interconnectedness and even if a single device misses the link, it would turn fatal for everyone.
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Lack of technical knowledge
Not all doctors and healthcare providers possess the technical know-how to run and operate devices. Before equipping the systems, educating the medical staff is a big challenge for all. Also, building robust IoMT solutions for Medical and Healthcare companies remains a challenge. IoT consulting experts can easily build such solutions for you while you focus on your business challenges & growth.
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Managing Large Data Volumes
With thousands of connected devices and equipment, managing the enormous amount of data produced becomes difficult. The fact that there are multiple sensors and each gather data in a different format, there is a need for a robust system that can map data effortlessly. Building such systems need technical know-how about Medical Internet of Things and Big Data in Healthcare sector. You can overcome this challenge with the help of experienced IoT consultants.
Conclusion
The advent of digitization has truly altered the face of the healthcare sector. There has been a massive shift in the pattern of care provided to the patients. Improved diagnosis and faster cure are now the new normal. To survive in the dynamically growing economy, abiding by the needs of the industry is no longer an option but a necessity.