What is the future of IoT in healthcare?

Some predictions show potential revenue opportunities in healthcare to grow by 76 Billion in the next few years thanks to IoT focused technology like 5G.

With faster and more reliable network connectivity, the healthcare industry can more safely and securely roll out remote care offerings. IoT based technologies allow physicians and caregivers to provide a better level of care with the use of automation and remote monitoring. The following are just a few examples of how IoT will transform the healthcare industry:

• Remote Diagnostics/Monitoring: In an age when telehealth is becoming increasingly more important, remotely connecting with a physician is the new norm. Taken a step further, for those who experience chronic illness or require assisted living, remote health monitoring equipment can connect securely to the physician’s EHR. This continuous monitoring can be automated in such a way that if any issues are detected, the proper caregiver can be notified in an instant.

• Indoor Asset Tracking: We are all familiar with GPS and location sharing over long distances. However, IoT promises even more accurate indoor positioning in the near future. These types of indoor asset tracking platforms are useful in sharing expensive medical equipment between floors or wings that may only require intermittent access to the medical device. Also, such a platform can also allow hospital staff to more quickly and easily locate on-call physicians with the use of a simple app.

• Emergency Response: IoT monitoring devices have the ability to identify much smaller irregularities in readings, and can more quickly signal if help is needed. By remotely connecting to monitoring equipment and automating the process, there is less room for human mistakes and more potential for immediate and role-specific notifications. Additionally, emergency responses can be added to physicians’ workflow to automate requests for medication or equipment for various situations. As a result, patients receive quicker care, and physicians are freed from mundane tasks, like paperwork.

By these limited examples, we can see how IoT has the potential to improve the healthcare outcome via remote patient monitoring, improved efficiencies by enabling equipment sharing and better visibility to hospital stalls, and reduce the margin for human error in emergency situations. Thus, IoT holds the keys for large scale growth in the healthcare sector over the next several years.

The technology is already developed and available. It is now up to healthcare providers to see the potential in this next-generation technology. Is your institution considering a technology solution? Contact Bridgera today to learn more about what potential IoT technology has to offer!