Due to the increasing popularity of wearable technology, such as the Internet of Things, the healthcare industry has become more receptive to its applications. Devices like smartwatches, wearable health monitors, and other tech-embedded tools are helping change the way we approach a lot of industries and healthcare.
As of the start of 2021, there were 11.3 billion IoT devices connected to the network, and the market held a value of $26.5 billion; that number is expected to reach $94.2 billion by 2026.
Wearables
One of the most critical developments in the healthcare industry is the emergence of wearable technology. Its ability to monitor a patient’s status remotely is incredibly valuable. A study from Deloitte found that nearly 40% of users had a smartwatch – with so many individuals already wearing the technology, it makes sense to incorporate health monitoring aspects as well.
Aside from monitoring heart rate, a smartwatch can also do other basic tasks such as keeping track of blood pressure and measuring physical health. It can also use specialized sensors to measure things like blood oxygen saturation.
Smartwatches are also improving their ability to collect data about blood vitals. By using photoplethysmography – an optical technology that can monitor variations in blood composition and volume – they can now provide users with more detailed information about their blood composition and volume.
Aside from monitoring a person’s vitals, wearable technology, such as bio patches and smart hearing aids, can also improve the quality of hearing for people with hearing loss.
Smart Pills
One of the most notable applications of the Internet of Things in healthcare is the development of smart pills, which are edible electronic devices that can serve as pharmaceutical drugs and give healthcare providers valuable patient information.
Creating Solutions for the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)
One issue scientists are currently working through is getting all of these devices to communicate with each other. It is a bit challenging due to the wide variety of microcontrollers used in the industry and each manufacturer’s proprietary software.
Being able to communicate with each other uninterrupted in times of need is also an issue, especially since various environmental factors can disrupt internet connections and thus data flow. Using IoT technology introduces new security issues as well.