According to a
report published by Deloitte, the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is
anticipated to reach USD158.1
billion in 2022. The internet of medical things is a
connected infrastructure of inter-networked medical devices and healthcare
information technology applications, which allows the collection, analysis, and
transmission of data. IoMT and its relationship with MedTech enable healthcare
organizations to enhance efficiency in operations, improve patient outcomes,
and create new ways to engage and empower patients.
Remote patient
monitoring of people with chronic illnesses, tracking of patient medication
orders, wearable mHealth devices, infusion pumps connected to analytics
dashboards, and hospital beds rigged with sensors to measure patients’ vital
signs are all examples of IoMT technology. A growing number of applications,
medical equipment, and supplies are inbuilt with near field communication (NFC)
radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to transfer medical data over a
secured network to either a cloud repository or internal servers.
How is IoMT Changing Healthcare?
Just like the Internet of Things, IoMT leverages machine-based
intelligence and automation to reduce reliance on human intervention, be it for
routine monitoring operations or healthcare products. Providing flexibility to
patients and providers, healthcare IoT drastically reduces the need to visit
medical facilities, thus reducing medical costs.
The COVID-19 pandemic
significantly prompted the adoption of IoMT, with an increased number of
patients seeking treatment from home due to quarantine and stay-at-home orders.
As the IoMT market matures, telehealth and telemedicine will evolve
significantly, allowing more accurate diagnoses and timely care.
Most healthcare companies are discarding conventional methods of medical
treatment and implementing the internet of medical things to streamline
clinical workflow management and lead to improved patient care, both in care
facilities and remote locations. More than half a million IoMT devices are
available in the market to enhance consumers’ quality of life and monitor
at-risk patients.
Patient monitoring is the largest application of the internet of medical
things since it helps to keep the data safe and secure. IoMT also reduces the
overall cost of providing services to patients while expanding caregivers’
reach irrespective of physical barriers. According to research, 88% of care
providers invest in remote patient monitoring solutions.
Besides, the
introduction of “smart pills” that contain microscopic sensors that allow
transmission of data to connected devices and improve clinical outcomes. IoMT
includes an array of medical devices, broadly divided into four categories:
wearable IoMT, In-hospitable IoMT, In-home IoMT, and Community IoMT.
Types of IoMT Devices
·
Wearable
or On-the-body IoMT
Biosensors make it possible for patients to monitor their overall
health, checking their vitals in real-time. These kinds of sensors can be
fitted under the skin to provide full freedom to the patients without
compromising their health. Wearable or on-body IoMT segment can be divided into
two categories such as consumer health wearables and clinical-grade wearables.
Consumer health wearables include medical devices such as fitness bands,
sports watches, activity trackers, and smart garments to track health metrics
for both personal use and for sharing with healthcare providers. These devices
are used for specific healthcare applications such as detecting irregular
heartbeat, glucose levels, blood pressure, etc.
Whereas clinical-grade
wearables are regulated devices and support systems required to be used under
the guidance of medical practitioners. These devices are mostly designed to
manage pain, improve physical performance, and resolve other health problems.
·
In
Hospital and Clinics
In-hospital IoMT devices can range from huge machines to devices enabled
with smart apps for allowing patient monitoring, supply management, detecting
issues, etc. Hospitals also leverage IoMT to manage the quality and supply of
medical assets as well as understand how to mobilize personnel throughout the
premises.
Some other uses of IoMT in hospitals and clinics include asset
management, patient flow management, and environmental management (adjusting
temperature and light to optimize conditions in different rooms). Even popular
MedTech companies like GE, Siemens, and Philips are utilizing IoMT to diagnose
and maintain imaging devices like CT scans, X-ray machines, etc. Some
innovative IoMT devices used at the hospitals are Zoll’s wearable
defibrillator, Stanley Healthcare’s land hygiene compliance system, Boston
Children’s Hospital’s GPS-based MyWay app to guide, and so on.
·
In-Home
IoMT
In-home IoMT devices include remote patient monitoring (RPM), telehealth
systems, and personal emergency response systems (PERS) intended for use at
home. These devices enable patient monitoring constantly so that they can take
medical help whenever some serious medical issue arises.
The applications of In-home IoMT are enormous as they have the potential
to improve the management of chronic diseases and reduce mortality rates.
Besides, In-home IoMT reduces the need for unnecessary travel and
hospitalization, thus lowering the burden on healthcare systems.
·
Community
IoMT
Based on the need, community IoMT is segmented into mobility services,
emergency response intelligence, Kiosks, Point-of-care devices, and logistics.
Mobility services enable patients to monitor health parameters during transit.
Emergency response intelligence systems assist first
responders/paramedics/hospital department care providers in providing quick
treatment.
Kiosks connected with touchscreen displays help dispense products to
care providers. Logistics involve sensors, RFID, barcodes, and drones that
allow the distribution of healthcare goods and services required by caregivers.
