7 Key Benefits of IoT Medical Devices for Patients

Patients expect a better experience, especially in having more control over their health, more open communication with healthcare providers, and accessing better medical services. Reshaping patient experience is a complex process that involves multiple methods, among which the most promising is the application of Internet of Things (IoT) technology in healthcare.

The Internet of Things (IoT) consists of interconnected devices and sensors that exchange data via the internet. In the healthcare environment, the most common applications of IoT are remote medical systems or monitoring networks in medical institutions, used to collect valuable data and send it to a hub for storage and distribution to other software, such as analytical suites for medical pattern recognition. The processed data can serve as a basis for further action by other software, medical personnel, or the patients themselves.

In the healthcare field, a typical application of autonomous IoT systems is the automated closed-loop insulin delivery (AID) system connected to glucose monitoring devices. This device continuously monitors the glucose levels in the patient’s blood and delivers the optimal insulin dosage via a pump.

However, the application of IoT in healthcare has recently extended beyond patient monitoring and treatment implementation. Smart connected devices are now increasingly used for managing patient flow, monitoring patient distribution between different medical institutions, assessing air quality and sanitary conditions in hospitals, and performing other tasks that directly impact patient experiences. Throughout all potential applications of IoT in healthcare, we can reveal the following seven key aspects of how IoT improves patient experience:

01

Increased Accessibility to Home Healthcare Services

Most patients are reluctant to leave the comfort of their homes, and for some, doing so may even interfere with their treatment. This is especially true for groups with limited mental or physical abilities, immunocompromised patients, the elderly, and young children. Wearable health trackers and automated medication delivery systems can replace many in-hospital processes, sparing patients the hassle of traveling for care.

02

Proactive Health Management

IoT helps track and visualize health parameters, making it easier for patients to understand and monitor their conditions. Smart connected devices can also remind users when to take their medication, measure specific vital signs, or connect with healthcare providers. When individuals realize the direct impact of their actions on their health, it motivates them to change their lifestyles and strengthens their commitment to treatment. IoT medical devices excel at detecting even minor deviations in vital signs.

03

Precise and Comfortable Diagnostics

Thanks to sophisticated IoT diagnostic devices (such as ingestible robots for gastrointestinal examinations and portable EEG headsets), more diseases can be diagnosed at earlier stages, improving diagnostic accuracy and patient comfort. Equally important, these devices help identify previously unknown patterns to healthcare providers, thus facilitating research and diagnosis of rare diseases and improving treatment success rates.

04

Enhanced Patient Safety

IoT helps ensure patient safety in multiple ways. For instance, IoT-enabled wearable devices can monitor dangerous changes in patients’ vital signs, detect falls, and irregular movements, sending alerts to caregivers or healthcare professionals. Smart medication dispensers can enhance medication adherence by automatically injecting medication into patients’ bloodstreams.

Even without such advanced features, devices can still serve as treatment reminders. Additionally, some IoT devices can monitor environmental factors like air quality, temperature, humidity, and bacterial load, helping to prevent health hazards in hospitals and at home.

05

Simplified Patient-Doctor Communication

Connected devices can transmit health data in real-time to healthcare professionals, enabling remote consultations and telemedicine sessions. Patients can securely share their symptoms, conditions, and concerns with their healthcare team, allowing for timely feedback, advice, and adjustments to treatment plans. This real-time communication improves patient-provider relationships, reduces response times, and ensures more personalized care delivery.

06

Reduction of Hospital Overcrowding

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) devices and telemedicine allow for early detection and management of various health conditions, effectively preventing hospital admissions. This frees up resources and facilities for more severe cases, alleviates burnout among medical personnel, and reduces the risk of hospital-acquired infections. Moreover, IoT-enabled inventory tracking and facility management devices help efficiently reallocate equipment and patients between wards.

07

Enhanced Medication Effectiveness

IoT systems can facilitate drug research, for instance, by tracking adverse reactions in patients with varying health conditions or analyzing the minimum dosage required for the desired therapeutic effect. Pharmacies and healthcare providers can utilize this data to improve existing medications, making them safer and more effective, and to develop new generations of drugs.

Leveraging IoT

While the Internet of Things appears to be a powerful tool for enhancing patient satisfaction, healthcare providers should not adopt this trend merely for the sake of innovation. Implementing IoT in the healthcare ecosystem can require significant investment. Before committing to adopting an IoT system, ensure you have a clear understanding of how it will transform your workflows, processes, and medical technology products. Understand how IoT can add value to these aspects and improve patient experiences. Then, collaborate with your team or appropriate software vendors to validate your vision and realistically project the timeline for expected return on investment.

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Patients want better experiences, in particular, more control over their health, more open communication with care providers, and better access to care services. Reshaping patient experience is a complex process that involves multiple approaches, and one of the most promising is utilizing the Internet of Things in healthcare.

The Internet of Things (IoT) consists of interconnected devices and sensors that exchange data via the internet. In the healthcare setting, IoT’s most common applications are remote health systems or facility monitoring networks, which collect valuable data and send it to the hub for storage and distribution to other software, e.g., the analytical suite for medical pattern recognition. Processed data is used by other software, medical personnel, or patients themselves as a basis for further action.

A common example of an autonomous IoT system in the healthcare setting is an automated closed-loop insulin delivery (AID) system connected to a glucose monitoring device. The device continuously checks glucose levels in the patient’s blood and delivers the optimal insulin dosage through the pump.

However, the application of IoT in healthcare has recently gone beyond patient monitoring and treatment delivery. Smart connected devices are now increasingly employed to manage the flow of patients and their distribution to different facilities, monitor the quality of air and sanitary conditions in hospitals, and perform other tasks directly influencing patient experiences. Looking at all possible ways of applying the Internet of Things in healthcare, we can highlight seven main areas where it makes patient experiences significantly better:

1. More services available at home

Leaving the comfort of home is difficult for most patients, but for some, it may even interfere with the treatment itself. This applies to people with restricted mental or physical abilities, immunity disorders, seniors, and young children. Wearable health trackers and automated medication delivery systems can replace many in-hospital procedures, saving patients from the dreaded visit to the doctor’s office.

2. Active health management

IoT helps track and visualize health parameters, which makes it easier for patients to understand and monitor their conditions. Smart connected devices can also remind users when to take medication, measure specific vitals, or connect with healthcare practitioners. People feel compelled to work on their lifestyle and adhere to the treatment more when they see an immediate impact of their actions on their health, and IoT devices are great at picking up even the smallest deviations in vital signs.

3. Precise and comfortable diagnostics

Thanks to sophisticated IoT diagnostic devices like ingestible robots for gastrointestinal tract checkups or portable EEG headsets, more conditions can be diagnosed at earlier stages, with improved accuracy and comfort for the patient. What’s also important is that such devices help identify patterns that were unknown to care providers before and thus contribute to the research and diagnostics of rare disorders, elevating the success rate of treatment.

4. Improved patient safety

IoT helps to keep patients safe in multiple ways. For example, IoT-enabled wearable devices detect dangerous changes in patients’ vitals, as well as falls and irregular movements, and immediately send alerts to caregivers or healthcare professionals. Smart medication dispensers can also ensure better medication adherence by automatically injecting medication into patients’ bloodstreams.

But even gadgets that don’t have such advanced functionality still can help with treatment reminders. Additionally, there are IoT devices that monitor environmental factors like air quality, temperature, humidity, and bacterial load in the environment and help prevent potential health hazards in hospitals and at home.

5. Streamlined patient-doctor communication

Connected devices can transfer health data in real time to healthcare professionals, enabling remote consultations and telemedicine sessions. Patients can securely share their symptoms, progress, and concerns with their healthcare team, who can then provide timely feedback, advice, and adjustments to treatment plans. This real-time communication improves patient-provider relationships, reduces response times, and ensures more personalized care delivery.

6. Reduction of hospital overcrowding

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) devices and telemedicine enable early detection and management of various health conditions, preventing patients from hospitalization. This frees up resources and facilities for more critical cases, mitigates medical personnel burnout, and reduces the risk of hospital-acquired infections. Additionally, IoT-enabled inventory tracking and facility management devices help efficiently redistribute equipment and patients between wards.

7. Enhanced medication effectiveness

IoT systems can facilitate drug research, for example, by tracking adverse reactions in patients with different health conditions or analyzing the minimal dosage of medication that would yield the desired therapeutic effect. Pharmacies and healthcare providers can then use this data to improve the existing medications, making them safer and more effective, and develop new generations of drugs.

While the Internet of Things seems like a powerful tool to boost patient satisfaction, care providers shouldn’t jump onto this trend just for the sake of innovation. Implementing IoT into a healthcare ecosystem can be a costly investment. Have a clear vision of how it is going to transform your workflows, processes, and medtech products before committing to the adoption of an IoT system. Understand how IoT can add value to each one of them and how it can improve the experiences of patients. Then you can verify your vision with your team or suitable software vendors and realistically project how fast you can expect a return on your investment.