Cellular IoT Applications in Healthcare
Technology is constantly evolving, and Internet of Things (IoT) technology offers exciting new opportunities for the healthcare sector to improve patient care and boost operational efficiency.
Cellular IoT in healthcare enables remote patient monitoring, allowing healthcare professionals to monitor and analyse real-time patient data. This enables them to make more timely and informed decisions, improving patient outcomes. Leveraging cellular IoT applications ultimately allows for more personalised care, better resource management and more streamlined health care services.
Keep reading to learn more about the wide range of cellular IoT applications in the healthcare industry, as well as key advantages and challenges.
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Cellular IoT Applications in the Healthcare Industry
IoT technology can help revolutionise the healthcare industry, improving patient outcomes and streamlining operations. Below, we explore some of the most exciting use cases for cellular IoT in healthcare settings.
1. Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM)
IoT devices, such as wearable biosensors, can be used to monitor patients remotely and intervene when needed. These devices can monitor patients’ vital signs, activity levels and a wide range of other health metrics. This data is then transmitted to a central system where it can be analysed by healthcare professionals to identify trends or anomalies.
Remote Patient Monitoring allows for the early detection of potential health issues and prompt clinical intervention. This means chronic conditions can be managed more effectively, and reduce the need for frequent hospital visits. It can also give patients more autonomy, allowing them to feel more involved in their care and improving engagement and adherence to treatment plans.
Glucose Monitoring
Continuous Glucose Monitors provide real-time glucose readings, which allow individuals to make more informed decisions and monitor their diabetes more effectively. These monitors can also prevent hypoglycemia by alerting individuals to low blood sugar levels in real time. The data collected by CGMs can also be used by healthcare providers to create more tailored treatment plans and be more proactive in their care.
Heart-rate Monitoring
Patients can wear IoT devices that continuously monitor their heart rate as well as other vital signs. This allows for the early detection of abnormalities and more effective management of conditions, such as heart disease, arrhythmias and hypertension. Because heart rate is monitored remotely, this reduces the need for frequent hospital visits and improves patient well-being.
2. Robotic Surgery
Robotic systems, such as the Da Vinci Surgical System, are increasingly used to facilitate more precise and less invasive surgeries. These systems are supported by IoT technologies and sensors to enable data collection and remote operation. This allows doctors to continuously monitor vital signs during surgery, helping to improve patient outcomes. IoT enables real-time, low-latency communication between the surgeon’s console and the robot, regardless of the surgeon’s location.
3. Ingestible Sensors
Ingestible IoT sensors allow healthcare professionals to collect vital information from digestive and other systems in a minimally invasive way. They are small, swallowable electronic devices that transmit data from inside the body to an external receiver. IoT sensors can provide doctors with real-time data on pH levels, pressure and other internal metrics to effectively diagnose gastrointestinal issues or identify the source of internal bleeding.
4. Asset Tracking
Hospitals and other healthcare premises can use cellular IoT tags to track high-value medical assets, such as ventilators, defibrillators and wheelchairs. This allows staff to easily and precisely locate medical equipment, streamlining usage and helping to optimise shared assets. This also reduces the time spent searching for equipment, meaning faster patient turnaround times and improved patient care.
IoT tags can also be used to track the quantity and movement of medical supplies, and alert staff or automatically reorder when stocks are low. This helps to reduce stockouts, automate the restocking process and prevent waste.
5. Medical Alert Systems
Medical alert devices use cellular connectivity to automatically alert emergency services or family members when a health crisis or fall is detected. They can track a range of metrics, including heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen levels, detect falls and send medication reminders. This helps promote faster emergency response times, potentially saving lives, and improves patient independence, safety and quality of life.
6. Connected Ambulances
IoT-enabled ambulances allow for real-time data exchange between the ambulance, hospital and healthcare providers. This allows the hospital to prepare for emergencies before arrival, helping them treat the patient more efficiently. IoT-enabled sensors and devices inside the ambulance, such as pulse oximeters and ECG monitors, continuously collect patient vital signs and transmit this information in real-time to the hospital to help doctors prepare.
7. Mobile Health Clinics
IoT technology can be utilised by mobile health clinics to enhance patient care. Devices or sensors can collect vital signs in real-time, which are then transmitted to healthcare providers for analysis. IoT-enabled diagnostic tools can also facilitate remote consultations with specialists, allowing those in remote or rural areas to access specialist care.
8. Smart Hospital Beds
Smart hospital beds are equipped with a range of IoT sensors to improve patient care, enhance comfort and reduce staff workload. IoT sensors can track vital signs, such as heart rate and body temperature, as well as detect patient movement to prevent falls and monitor pressure points to reduce bedsores. By integrating with Electronic Health Records (EHR), smart hospital beds can help nurses and doctors prioritise care based on real-time data.
Advantages of IoT in Healthcare
The Internet of Things (IoT) is revolutionising healthcare by enabling the real-time collection and transmission of patient data. This technology is transforming how healthcare providers deliver care and how patients manage their health. Implementing IoT technology is the best way to future-proof your hospital, improve patient outcomes and increase operational efficiency.
Below, we look at some of the key advantages of implementing IoT in healthcare settings.
1. Better Patient Outcomes
IoT devices enable continuous, real-time monitoring of patients’ vital signs, including heart rate, oxygen levels, blood pressure and glucose levels. This allows healthcare providers to quickly detect abnormalities and signs of deterioration, reducing the likelihood of complications and improving patient outcomes.
2. Enhanced Patient Engagement
Connected IoT devices enable patients with long-term or chronic conditions to monitor vital signs, track symptoms, and receive personalised insights into their conditions. IoT supports greater independence, encourages patients to stay engaged in their care and reduces the need for frequent hospital visits. This not only improves their quality of life but also leads to better adherence to treatment plans and early detection of potential issues.
3. More Personalised Treatment Plans
Providing healthcare professionals with a wealth of real-time data means that they can make more informed decisions more quickly, resulting in more effective and personalised care. Healthcare providers can make informed decisions based on real-time information that’s specific to the individual patient.
4. Early Disease Detection
Real-time data provided by IoT devices enables the early detection of health issues, allowing for more timely and targeted interventions. Continuous monitoring helps identify deviations from normal patterns that could indicate an early stage of a disease.
5. Cost Savings
Remote monitoring through IoT devices reduces the need for frequent hospital visits, leading to significant cost savings. Through asset tracking, IoT technology can also help hospitals manage resources more efficiently and streamline operations.
Challenges of IoT in Healthcare
Despite the many benefits of implementing IoT in healthcare spaces, there are still a range of challenges that need to be addressed to allow for the successful implementation of this technology.
1. Data Security and Privacy
IoT devices can be vulnerable to cyberattacks, including data breaches and ransomware. These attacks could compromise sensitive patient data and lead to the unauthorised access of other hospital systems. Hospitals must have comprehensive cybersecurity procedures in place to keep data protected and follow cybersecurity best practices outlined by the National Cyber Security Centre.
Hospitals also need to ensure that patient data generated by IoT devices is collected and stored in line with GDPR. For example, data collected should be absolutely necessary for healthcare purposes.
2. Reliable Connectivity
Strong and reliable connectivity is essential for IoT devices to function effectively. Cellular IoT offers the lowest latency and is most suitable for real-time, critical applications in the healthcare industry, but this also presents unique challenges in terms of connectivity. 5G connectivity may be weak or unreliable inside the hospital building, especially in internal rooms or underground spaces. High-performance signal boosters can help ensure reliable cellular connectivity for the transformative application of IoT technologies.
3. High Initial Costs
The initial investment in IoT technology can be high, which can be a barrier to adoption for some hospitals. However, the numerous benefits of IoT in healthcare, both in terms of improved patient care and reduced ongoing costs, typically outweigh this initial investment. IoT, especially cellular IoT with sufficient cloud infrastructure, is highly scalable, growing as healthcare operations expand.
4. Patient and Staff Adoption
Healthcare professionals will need to be trained on how to use IoT devices effectively. There can be a learning curve, and IoT devices can disrupt established routines and procedures. Some staff might be wary of overly relying on technology and may distrust the accuracy of IoT data. Patients may have similar concerns and might also be concerned about the privacy and security of their data.
It’s essential that hospitals provide in-depth training to staff and make patients aware of the benefits of using this new technology and how it will benefit them. IoT devices should be implemented into existing workflows to reduce disruption and maintain continuity of operations.
The Importance of Cellular and 5G in IoT
5G offers enhanced speed and low latency, which makes it ideal for IoT applications in the healthcare industry. Data can be transmitted and received in real-time, allowing healthcare professionals to continuously monitor patients and make rapid and informed medical decisions even in critical situations.
Another benefit of implementing cellular IoT using 5G networks is their ability to support a high number of connected devices and handle a large volume of data. 5G networks are also highly reliable, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity for continuous monitoring and real-time communication. This allows for more timely diagnoses and early intervention, helping to improve the standard of patient care.
To learn more about 5G, read our in-depth guide, ‘What is 5G and How Does It Work?‘.
High-Performance 5G Mobile Phone Signal-Boosting Solutions by NetCov
At NetCov, we specialise in designing and installing high-quality 5G signal-boosting systems so hospitals and healthcare organisations can implement cellular IoT, even when indoor 5G signal strength is poor. Our signal boosters help improve indoor 5G signal strength, so you can effectively implement cellular IoT and benefit from higher care standards and better operational efficiency.
We offer high-performance signal boosters that boost the signal of all UK networks, including Three, Vodafone, EE and O2. All our boosters are Ofcom-approved, so you can be sure your hospital is fully compliant with all UK legislation.
Contact our team today to find out more about how cellular IoT can make a difference in your hospital, or book your free consultation to get started.