If the last few
months have taught the world something, the healthcare industry is in dire need
of transformation. Better medication, diagnosis, and treatment strategies are
immediately required. Here Internet of Things is the propelling technology that
has been giving a dynamic push to the medical industry.
In 2021, 35.82 billion IoT devices are installed worldwide, which is expected
to reach 75.44 billion by 2025. Alone the global IoT in the healthcare market
is projected to reach $260.75 billion in 2027.
In just 2019,
medical technology companies like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott, and GE
Healthcare have made $30.6 billion, $20 billion, and $21.1 billion in revenue,
respectively.
It's clear that
healthcare digitization is booming today. Therefore, if you wish to expand your
business to the medical technology sector, hire IoT app developers the right way. Why?
Let's understand
in detail how IoT in healthcare is spinning the axis in 2021!
6 Significant
Roles of IoT in Healthcare
Health
Condition Monitoring
IoT has touched the healthcare industry in many ways. But its capability to monitor disease progression and patient's condition in real-time is the most significant contribution. IoT devices are being used to treat and control numerous chronic disorders right now, such as:
·
Heart
monitoring: Smartwatches
like Apple Watch come with an inbuilt heart rate monitor, which facility
patients constantly track their heart condition. This will help to anticipate
heart attacks in advance and control them before the patient's condition turns
serious.
·
Asthma
monitoring: ADAMM, aka
Automated Device for Asthma Monitoring and Management, are wearable devices
that detect asthma attacks beforehand so that patients can take preventive
measures on time.
·
Parkinson's
disease monitoring: In
2018, Apple added a new API that helps to monitor Parkinson's diseases with its
watch. This innovation has made it easier to track disease progression in
real-time without taking numerous diagnostic tests.
IoT Application
Development
IoT mobile app development market has grown at a CAGR of 15.25% between 2016 to 2021. In this, mobile healthcare apps are exhibiting a CAGR of 21.1%. That means if you launch a healthcare and fitness solution today, it will churn a significant revenue to you in the future.
Additionally, various types of IoT mobile application development in the healthcare sector is already practiced, such as:
·
Clinical
and diagnostic apps: Using
such apps, physicians can collect patients' disease progressing data, evaluate
it, and suggest the diagnosis remotely. Patients can also schedule virtual
appointments with doctors using the app.
·
Healthy
living apps: These types
of apps are developed to build a healthy lifestyle around. Users can check in
the metrics like exercise routines, diet plans, sleep patterns, and heart rate
using such apps.
·
Productivity
apps: These apps help to
improve the efficiency of healthcare providers. The apps include mobile
charting, remote dictation, appointment scheduling, etc.
Depression Recovery Treatment
According to WHO, over 264 million people of all ages suffer from depression worldwide. Now, with the pandemic crisis, mental health problems have become even more prevalent. In the depression recovery process, IoT devices have also turned out to be a great success.
Halo Neuroscience and Thync are already making advancements in developing mood-boosting devices. For example, there's a device called Moodable already available that sends low-intensity signals to the brain, which helps in improving mood.
IoT mobile apps are also being developed to treat depression. For instance, the US Department of Veteran Affair's National Center has partnered with the Department of Defense's National Center to create a PTSD Coach. This app was developed to help veterans and military members who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The app tracks a person's daily life to detect stressors and provides relaxation techniques to manage them.
Treatment of
Chronic Diseases
This might sound shocking, but IoT in healthcare can even treat cancer. In 2018, a study was organized among 357 patients suffering from head or neck cancer. A group used devices like Bluetooth weight scale, symptoms-tracking apps, and blood pressure cuff to monitor their disease progress.
On the contrary, another group didn't use any IoT devices to monitor their health. As a result, it's found that physicians were able to better treat patients whose conditions were regularly monitored.
Smart
Medication
Yes, smart medicine is a real thing. In 2017, the first FDA-approved smart medicine called Abilify MyCite was launched. This medicine is consumed just like any other prescribed drug. But the only difference here is that the medication contains a monitoring technology. Once a patient consumed this pill, the sensors constantly track levels of different body contents.
This data help professionals in better understanding their patient's body and monitor whether the treatment is helping them. It can also be used to track whether patients are taking medication in the right manner or not.
Inventory
Tracking and Management
IoT technology not only helps medical attendants in treating their patients better but also assists in managing their operations. In many large healthcare facilities, IoT devices are used to track inventory.
IoT devices paired with the technologies like RFID and RTLS (Real-time Location Systems) can help to mark inventory and manage medical equipment. Some of the IoT-based inventory management programs can alert hospital staff in advance when the stock expiry date is near. This practice can reduce wastage and elevate patient care quality too. The software also increases hospital staff's efficiency many folds.
IoT in
Healthcare — What Future Holds
The above-mentioned pointers have clearly indicated that IoT and healthcare have gone very far. And, in the coming years, IoT in healthcare is going to totally transform the industry. So, whether it's IoT mobile app development or tracking devices, the healthcare sector has lots of room for digital innovations.
Author Bio
Sagar Chaturvedi is your go-to-tech person who manages your end-to-end eCommerce, complete app and web development with the latest technologies like blockchain, AR, VR, IoT, POS, and so much more. In 2016, he started his work as Arthonsys Technologies’s CTO and successfully accomplished numerous projects in the last four years.Here if you have an idea to revolutionize the medical industry, you can book IoT mobile app development consultation with Arthonsys. And quickly hire the best IoT app developers to transform healthcare realms.
