IOT as a key in Digital Health Care System

Internet of Things (IoT) has already touched every aspect our life and has already shown its’ presence in most of the working sectors. Now use of IoT technology is growing so faster and it is also predicted soon it will rule in all industrial sectors to make everything advanced and automate.

Among lot of application areas of IoT like Agriculture, Defense sector, Farming, Wearable, Logistics etc application of Internet of Things in Health Care system is growing so faster as it has already transformed health care in various ways and will also continue to do in the near future. That’s why IoT is considered as a key in the advancement of Digital Health Care System.
In this article we will see how IoT has touched the health care in different ways and what is the future of IoT in health care.

Here are some applications of IoT technology in health and healthcare :

1. Glucose Monitoring Systems –
   Patients who are suffering from Diabetics they find it helpful. Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) is a device which continuously monitor their blood glucose levels frequently, and informs if any changes in sugar level so that it minimizes the future risk.
2. Heart Monitor and Reporting –
   Patients those have heart related diseases or Blood pressure risks they find this device very helpful as the device continuously monitors the users heart rate and which is capable of detecting high blood pressure or any major changes in heart rate. This type more advanced devices are also capable of alerting about heart attacks etc.
3. Ingestible Sensors –
   Pills have been created to which the patients need to swallow it and it dissolves in stomach. That Pill contains sensors which can tell right medicines have been taken at right time through mobile app alert.
4. Wireless Temperature sensors –
   Temperature monitoring devices are used in hospitals, clinics, medicine stores and medicine manufacturing industries to maintain the proper temperature at respective places. For example maintaining ICU temperature, managing temperature of Blood Bank, managing temperature at medicine storage, keeping bio medical materials at required temperature etc.
5. Smart dustbins –
   Most of the time medical staffs handle clinical things which needs to be thrown to dustbins properly which should not be come in contact with any one else so during throwing these things to dustbins, smart dustbins have been developed to which we can use without touching it. It automatically opens and closes accordingly as per requirement keeping all safe.
6. Asthma Monitor Inhalers –
   Internet of Things enabled inhalers always monitors the human body and keeps a track what the patient is facing and informs to the physician automatically if any wrong has been detected.
7. Device Monitoring –
   Many times some clinical equipment or materials are misplaced so that it creates to get it at the right time. So IOT has made it easy for the medical staffs to keep track on these that where everything is and can avail it easily.
8. Step monitoring and reporting –
   To make the people to walk everyday and keeping track on number of steps, IOT devices has been developed so that it can keep track on steps and reports the user about it through mobile apps which keeps them always healthier and fit.
9. Smart Saline Solution –
   IoT enabled saline solution keeps track on the saline water automatically and when ever it is needed to refill it informs the medical staffs that particular saline is going to empty and needs refill making the things easy.

Here are some applications of IoT technology which are going to implemented soon :

1. Robots in health care –
   Robots are going to deployed in hospitals so that in many cases they can fill the place of nurses or other medical staffs by advancing the medical facility. In many cases staffs need to maintain distance from the patients in that cases robots can be deployed where they can do that work.
2. Connected contact lenses –
   It is aimed to treat presbyopia and cataract surgery recovery to restore the eye’s focus and improve vision.
3. Patient monitoring from home –
   IoT devices are going to be developed to monitor the patient and their surrounding for the betterment of patients. Medical professional will be alerted if anything wrong happens or any critical situation arises.

Challenges of IoT in health care –

• Managing a high volume of input data
• Maintaining security in terms of patients data and hospital records.
• Improvement in exiting software and infrastructure for better integration of IoT.

Along with this many IoT enabled is going to come and implemented in health care system soon. It has been seen that by 2019 87% of health care organizations have already adopted IoT some how and 76% believe that IoT will transform the health care industry and it has been predicted that by 2024 adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) in health and healthcare system will be in peak and IoT technology will play a key role in digital health care industry.