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Importance of IoT in Healthcare

Mark, my neighbor, a senior citizen lived a happy life enjoying his morning walk, watering the garden and reading his favorite books. His favorite pastime was playing with Joy, his pet dog. In the middle of the night on Oct 3, 2005, there were a bunch of emergency vehicles at his doorsteps, and I ran out to see if I can jump in and assist. Mark is being carried on a stretcher. He had a heart attack! Thank God, he is alive and out of danger due to timely care provided by the professionals. How did this happen? He is all alone and was almost unconscious when the emergency professionals arrived. Thanks to innovations in Medical IoT! His wristband connected to an emergency system saved his life. A simple technology, but a profound effect!

Welcome to the new age of “Technology Transformation” – Evolution of IoT.

‘Internet of Things’ in short known as IoT, is the network of various objects connected via the Internet which enables human and object interaction embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and actuators.

Adoption of IoT across industry verticals is increasing at a rapid pace. Will healthcare be an exception? Of course not! In fact, the application of IoT in healthcare space is on a much larger scale than the other verticals- from wristbands, insulin pumps to pacemakers. According to World Health Organisation(WHO) report, IoT in healthcare is supposed to strike the target of $117 billion in US market by 2020, and the days are not too far. Come, let’s take a journey to understand the immense benefits of IoT in healthcare.

Real-time tracking of patients’ activities is no more a distant dream. It is a reality now. The patient’s behavior is observed for 24/7 through connected devices, and the doctors could even contact through live video or audio calls.

This method helps in fast recovery of patients as they are regularly monitored and treated promptly. Apart from regular health monitoring of patients, Neonatal monitoring of newly born babies in NICU is also enabled through IoT.

There is a sea change in the applications of IoT in Healthcare. Be it the smart wristbands like fitbits that track your pulse rate, physical activity for example stairs climbed, walking speed, calories burnt, distance travelled, sleep hours and glucometers to measure your blood glucose level. The tracker keeps continuous records of the information collected and observes health and fitness on continual basis.

The simple tracker is mostly wearable on wrist, ankle or waist. At times of emergency, the tracker or the monitoring IoT device sends instant alert messages to the associated hospitals, care managers and families for timely responses.