10 Astonishing Applications Of The Internet Of Things (Iot) In Healthcare

The Internet of Things is creating waves not only in the tech field but also on every industry it has entered. Not a single sector in the world can deny or resist the benefits that the Internet of Things (IoT) has delivered. We can proudly say that the next decade awaits some greatest IoT revolutions and especially in healthcare. The treatment and diagnosis will change altogether and becomes even more convenient than now.

Before this, read our previous article “What is the Internet of Things (IoT)? and How does IoT Work?” to understand about IoT.

Present healthcare has reached far behind what we were practicing just a decade before. Many innovations have entered the medical field such as robotic surgery, but still, there is some gap existing which needs to be bridged. What is the hole that we are talking about? You have got it right, with all the facilities that modern medicine has given “patient satisfaction” is not making much progress. Patient waiting time is steadily increasing as well as the healthcare costs.

So far the IoT initiatives were taken in health care revolve around the improvement of care and the maintenance of healthcare assets. However, these IoT initiatives are just the beginning of a new era and are far from its omnipresence. With advances in computing power and scale, we are expecting a more advanced and integrated approach to health care such as smart pills, robotics and Real-Time Health Systems (RTHS). We can very well say that a fantastic transformation of healthcare will take place in the period from 2017 to 2022, with the vital component being “IoT.”

Let us now have a look at 10 astonishing applications of the Internet of Things (IoT) in healthcare.

1. Activity trackers in better Cancer treatment:

Cancer is threatening the world now. With thousands of doctors and researchers working day and night to find new ways to treat cancer, it still seems to be a challenging one. Since the reaction to therapy plays a vital role in cancer treatment, “what if an activity tracker can help immensely in curing cancer?” The cloud research firm Medidata and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) collaboratively, gathering the lifestyle data on patients treated for multiple myeloma with the use of activity trackers. The tracker has been advised to wear a week before commencing the treatment and several months over the course treatment to record the activity level, fatigue, appetite and more. Through these wearables, a variety of data are gathered daily and stored in their official app which can be researched upon to gain useful insights. By studying the data, the current cancer diagnosis as well as the treatment plan can be improved considerably in many conditions.

2. Connected contact lens for diagnosing glucose levels:

Connected Contact lenses, unlike shown in films, is not going to scan the enemy but are going to scan your glucose levels. We are talking about Google’s smart lens technology which comes with non-invasive sensors built in contact lenses. The lenses are going to be of great benefit for diabetes patients as they no longer going to pierce themselves with a needle instead “their tears” are tested for the glucose levels. The monitored glucose levels then get stored on the mobile device. Though Alcon (part of Novartis) has licensed this technology, we are still expecting a great move from them. Another significant development of Novartis that might take shape is developing lenses that will help presbyopia patients restore their eye’s focus.

3. Ingestible sensor to monitor vital signs:

A swallowable digital pill that produces a signal from the stomach, which is being picked up by a sensor patch worn on the body is what we are talking about now. No, it not a sci-fi film that we are talking about but the digital medicine developed by Proteus Digital Health. Their ingestible sensors embedded in a digital pill that patients need to consume orally and it generates an electrical signal when it contacts with stomach fluid. The primary purpose of this digital pill is to monitor adherence because the study of World Health Organisation in 2003 reveals that 50% of medicines are not consumed as directed, and this effort is expected to reduce this figure considerably.

4. Open APS-Closed loop insulin delivery:

Open APS stands for open artificial pancreas system, the significant areas of IoT medicine and a boon for all the diabetes patients who have been waiting for years for improved healthcare technology. There is no company or organizations involved in it but Dana Lewis, and her husband Scott Leibrand are the backbones. When Dana had type 1 diabetes, they hacked Dana’s CGM (continuous glucose monitor) and her insulin pump to come up with a solution. They used the data feed from the CGM and a Raspberry Pi computer, their software to complete the loop and continuously altered the amount of insulin Dana’s pump delivers.

5. Long-term continuous glucose monitoring system:

With more than 29 million Americans having Diabetes, there have been innovations happening to help them monitor and control the blood sugar levels. As we saw open APS, there is another connected system that is being developed by Pharma to help people with diabetes. It is the long-term continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system, wherein the sensor is implanted just below the patient’s skin which communicates with a smart transmitter. This smart transmitter sends blood glucose levels to a sister mobile app on the patient’s phone.

6. Breathe easy using Connected inhalers:

To ensure “adherence” seems to be the challenging part in the medicinal field. The immediate applications of IoT are expected not to assist in diagnosis instead to ensure the adherence. When doctors can track the patient’s adherence to the treatment plan using sensor embedded medicines, it is easier to devise a better treatment plan. Novartis has signed a deal with Qualcomm and Propeller Health, for developing connected inhalers to patients affected with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Expecting to hit the markets next year, Connected inhalers can help people to breathe easy.

7. Apple’s Researchkit for Arthritis study:

Apple’s researchkit software is not to study on testing a medicine instead, looking at the impact of the disease in patient’s lives. GSK partnered with Apple and started using this researchkit to study 300 patients over the course of three months. This first significant study by the major drugmaker is for rheumatoid arthritis, and the users are asked to record their mood and report any physical symptoms, along with a wrist exercise that utilizes the iPhone’s motion sensors to detect progress. As a significant trial of its kind, we can expect more of these trials for many different diseases ranging from autism to epilepsy.

8. Depression fighting Watch app from Apple:

The specially designed Apple watch developed in Cambridge going to give a new life for patients fighting their depression. The big pharma firm Takeda has teamed up with them, to test the use of Apple Watch app in patients with a major depressive disorder (MDD). Affecting nearly 350 million people of all ages, Depression is the leading cause for disability worldwide. This app is designed to monitor and assess cognitive function. It is a trial set to check how an app reports mood and cognition in comparison to traditional testing. It is also expected that this app can contribute much to clinical decision making with patients’ data obtained through the app.

9. Monitoring Parkinson’s disease with sensors:

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease affecting over a million people in the United States, and this rate is rapidly growing every year. With the current evaluating procedure requires the patients to visit the clinic regularly and get tested wherein continual collection of data seems impossible. Pfizer and IBM have collaborated for Project Blue Sky, to develop a system to passively capture data from people with PD continuously in their daily life. Another ongoing research study by Sage Bionetworks is the mPower app that monitors the key indicators of PD progression.

10. Bluetooth Coagulation testing:

Coagulation is the ability of blood to clot and this Bluetooth-enabled coagulation system launched by Roche, allows patients to check how quickly their blood clots. Being the first device of its kind for anticoagulated patients, it has proven results in helping patients to stay within their therapeutic range by lowering the risk of stroke or bleeding.

With these examples, we have covered some of the essential applications of IoT in health care. When an infinite array of devices is connected, the healthcare industry can provide scalable solutions to its patients. Overall smart healthcare market value by 2020 is estimated to be $169.32 billion. With Apple getting into this space with Healthkit and Google with Google fit, it’s not hard for us to imagine the growth opportunities in IoT career.

It’s time to Start your IoT training from DataMites™

DataMites™, a global institute accredited by the International Association of Business Analytics Certifications (IABAC) understand the challenges faced by professionals who aspire to enter a successful IoT career. At DataMites™, we have industry-specific training programs specially crafted to guide fresh graduates and working professionals in their initial steps. Industry experts design all our IoT training programs in alignment with the latest industry trends and in addition to this, we offer

1) A case study based approach that helps you to master the concepts with hands-on experience over projects to gain real-time exposure.
2) A library of resources such as books, publications, newsletters, and much more are available round the clock.
3) Flexible learning options such as instructor-led, self-learning and classroom sessions.
4) A practice lab open round the clock with popular platforms to practice on sample problems and case studies.
5) A dedicated team assigned to help you to find the right job after you complete the course.

The challenges faced by businesses across the world are finding talents with the efficient IoT skillset for meeting their requirements. Take up an IoT training from us, DataMites™ to become a certified IoT practitioner enjoying a promising career in this “futuristic technology.”

For more details about IoT training in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune visit Datamites website.