From Virtual Consultations to Remote Monitoring: IoT Transforming Healthcare

Medicine has always been driven by data. Healthcare professionals have long used patient data to make diagnoses, prescribe medication and keep track of their patients. With recent and continuing advancements in technology, especially in the Internet of Things (IoT) space, the healthcare industry is taking the collection and use of data to the next level. IoT combined with artificial intelligence (AI) has had a major impact on healthcare, as we will see below.

What is IoT in Healthcare, and How Does it Work?

IoT broadly refers to the use of interconnected devices and sensors. They collect, store, and exchange data over the internet, allowing it to be accessed by whoever needs it — in this case, healthcare professionals and patients. This data can be used in many ways including in managing chronic conditions, monitoring patients, improving healthcare outcomes, and keeping healthcare costs low.

Allowing Early Interventions for Better Outcomes

A major transformation in healthcare caused by IoT is in the early detection of certain conditions. Wearable health tech is now commonplace, collecting different types of data including activity level, blood pressure, heart rate and many others. These data points can be crucial in the early detection of health problems.

Healthcare professionals can then start putting plans in place to curtail the development of these conditions. If they occur alongside other acute and chronic conditions, then doctors can make the necessary changes to a patient’s treatment plans to avoid future complications.

Improved Patient Monitoring

Telemedicine has been on the rise in recent years, with its potential and utility realised after its integration with IoT. Telemedicine avails numerous opportunities for expanded patient monitoring which then provides new opportunities for healthcare and patient outcome improvements. This includes wireless technologies and IoT sensors equipped with an IoT chip to set up sophisticated monitoring for patients who need it, as well as those who are at the most risk. Doing this makes healthcare and medical services more accessible to mobility-impaired and elderly patients. These are the people who struggle most to obtain the healthcare resources they need, including access to doctors and other healthcare professionals through appointments.

Making Virtual Consultations More Productive

In addition to making healthcare more accessible, telemedicine also makes virtual consultations possible. IoT can also come in to make these consultations more productive. How? Healthcare professionals can use IoT to collect and receive patient data before and during these consultations. This allows them to better assess where their parents are regarding their healthcare, how they are faring and what interventions are required if any.