Innovative ways IoT is Being Used in Healthcare
In January 2015, Digiday conducted an interview with Internet of Things (IoT) researcher, David Rose. Rose describes what creates the ultimate smart object: it needs to be an ordinary object, with the ability to connect to the cloud, and finally, must evoke a sense of wonder. This ‘sense of wonder’ describes the ability of a product to enhance the ordinary.
If we stop to think about the world we live in, it is apparent that the most successful companies in our present day started with an idea that enhanced the ordinary. From Instacart revamping the way we grocery shop, to Uber revolutionizing the way we travel, the best and most staying ideas, have enhanced human day-to-day life. The Internet of Things movement has the power to do that for every aspect of our lives. With IoT, everything that is ordinary, can be made extraordinary.
One industry that stands to benefit from IoT is healthcare. With the endless datapoints that are analyzed and considered in healthcare, IoT helps to streamline mundane processes and improve necessary procedures.
Smart Pill Bottles. When patients neglect to take their medicine, it can be deadly. With IoT, a person connects their phone to their pill bottle to be notified when they’ve missed a dosage, or signal when it’s time to refill a prescription.
Smart Glucose Monitors. Bluetooth-enabled glucose devices allow patients to track glucose levels and easily administer insulin when levels are unbalanced. Users connect their mobile devices to the bluetooth embedded in the monitor, allowing them to access blood-sugar history, calculate needed insulin levels, and refill test strip orders.
Smart Bras. In the United States alone, 12% of women will develop invasive breast cancer. For women with a family history of the illness, smart bras can help with early detection. Sensors embedded in bras monitor breast tissue conditions and log tissue rhythms on a mobile device via bluetooth technology. The sensor’s function can also provide women with tips to optimize breast care and health.
The possibilities don’t end here. Imagine sensors affixed to patient rooms where doctors and nurses scan to receive a digital copy of a patient’s entire medical history. What if a caregiver is notified that the patient is sleeping and should not be disturbed by the same sensor?
A recent article written in HealthcareIT News echoes these sentiments, “collecting and analyzing data from disparate sources can help patients and providers better understand which factors are impacting health outcomes.” Having many dynamic data points, aggregated from multiple sources (such as sensors, medical records, and healthcare apps) help forge comprehensive reports on how a person’s health is being effected and what actions to take as a result.
By creating smart objects, we maximize the potential of those items, and help improve our everyday lives. In the case of health care, this ensures humans can be their healthiest selves.
That’s enhancing the ordinary. That’s the power of IoT.
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