The Contribution of the Internet of Things to the Healthcare Industry
The biggest revolution that will be occurring in healthcare is the ability to access, retrieve, monitor, and store patient data. This has nothing to do with medical records per se. It has everything to do with connected devices that will provide health care providers with real time information. Suppose, for example, Bill has high blood pressure, and his doctor wants to monitor that pressure over several weeks in order to determine if a medication is working. Traditionally, Bill would be sent home with a blood pressure device and would take his blood pressure a couple of times a day. He would log those pressures and then call his doctor’s office to report them. Now, however, Bill can wear a small ankle cuff that will report his pressure directly, in real time, to his doctor’s office, just as our home appliances can send information to us when we are not home. In fact, forecasters state that, by 2020, about 4 billion medical tracking devices will be connected to patients for purposes of monitoring blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and so forth. And the one connecting element that will provide for all of this data accumulation and monitoring will be the smart phone, linking patient data collection with the Internet.
Internet of Things Health Care: Extreme Benefits
Here is how the Internet of Things will assist health and wellness in wonderful ways: Clearly, doctor-patient connections and behaviors are going to change drastically over the next several years. Wearables, real-time data collections, and the ability to respond to patient crises will all make for better and much more efficient care.
