Healthcare market is reaching a whole new level thanks to a higher focus on patient engagement and self-management. Also, the governments are even more aware now of the necessity to promote health, or better said, digital health. Let’s see the importance of IoT in healthcare, and some real life examples of devices that are using the Internet of Things.
This information will help you to realize how important it is to reach the market with healthcare iot devices, since they have great growth potential.
IoT contributions to healthcare
Probably you already know the importance of IoT, and if we mix Internet of Things and healthcare, you get a great combination. Hospitals and clinics are relying more on IoT devices to monitor their patients when they leave the hospital.
Imagine a patient that needs to have a device attached to his chest to monitor his vitals. The doctor may not check in real time the patient’s vitals (because he is busy), but he could analyze by the end of the day or the week if there was something abnormal, and make decisions accordingly.
On the other hand, IoT allows people to be in “control” of their vitals. When healthcare IoT users have access to crucial information (heart rate, blood oxygen, energy levels, sugar levels, etc), they would make adjustments on their lifestyle, and diet.
There have been many cases of people being saved because of healthcare IoT devices:
- Identification of tumors.
- Arrhythmias.
- Blood pressure problems.
- Bad sleep patterns caused by specific illnesses.
And we are not talking about “complex” devices that are only obtained in hospitals; there are apps, small devices, products, and wearables that are contributing a lot to the healthcare industry.
Imagine how many lives you could save if you decided to start developing your product idea for the healthcare industry.
Real life examples of IoT in healthcare
The potential of healthcare industry and IoT is huge, according to Markets and Markets , “The global IoT medical devices market is projected to reach USD 94.2 billion by 2026 from USD 26.5 billion in 2021.”
Imagine the high amount of devices that will be launched in the market in the upcoming years, this is something to bear in mind if you are planning to develop an IoT device that contributes to the healthcare industry.
Healthcare apps
Healthcare apps are raising their popularity over the years, in fact, Statista says, “54,603 healthcare and medical apps were available on the Google Play Store by the second quarter of 2022”. In the case of the Apple App Store, the number of health related apps is around 52,000.
People can find anything on these platforms, apps for psychological treatments, anxiety treatments, yoga apps, workout apps, nutrition recommendations, among others. You can find free apps that offer pro plans under a monthly fee, and others that charge a price to be able to use it.
App: MyFitnessPal
Health apps are attractive since some of them help people to schedule appointments without the need to call an office, and people want to save time on this. Other apps like MyFitnessPal allow people to register the food they eat everyday, and the app automatically counts calories, protein, fat, carbs, and other stats. This app is useful for people who want to control their diet, lose weight, or even gain it.
Note: Though the amount of health apps may be high on these platforms, it doesn’t mean your business idea can’t reach a big audience. If your service solves a problem or need, and you are planning to integrate an IoT device, carry out an MVP testing process. Once you have the results, develop your products and launch it into the healthcare market.
Wearable devices
Usually, people think in wearable devices such as smartwatches and fitness trackers. People who wear these kinds of IoT products value the information they provide when walking or exercising.
There are many options in the market, we could mention Xiaomi. This company has been competing with other wearables from different brands. The market remains updated since every brand invests a lot of money in product development.
Source: Xiaomi website
The Mi watch offers blood oxygen testing, sleep tracking, stress monitoring, and body energy monitoring. Maybe other companies offer similar data when using a smartwatch, however, every brand customizes their experience by adding better technologies that are more accurate for specific situations.
For instance, this smartwatch claims to have four positioning systems inside its GPS chip: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BDS. It also states that it includes many workout modes such as swimming, HIIT, triathlons, hiking, yoga, among others.
Note: You can customize the design, development, and features of your wearable depending on your product’s goal. You can rely on companies that offer outsourced product development for your project, there are many advantages to doing it this way.
Besides smartwatches and fitness trackers, there are other types of wearables that benefit from IoT: smart glasses, smart clothing, body sensors, wearable cameras, in-body electronics, location trackers, and smart jewelry.
Specific healthcare devices for monitoring medical conditions
Many companies have developed products and devices to aid specific patients to have a better life. People that suffer diabetes, asthma, hypertension, heart problems, among others.
For instance, a company called Health Care Originals developed a smart device for Asthma monitoring. It is a small device that people attach to their chest (almost imperceptible), and through an app, their doctor can monitor if something is wrong, even the patient can receive alerts if something is not working well and act upon it.
DeepSea Developments has experience developing IoT devices for healthcare industry. We could mention just a few of them, a pill dispenser and a thermal camera.
The thermal camera works as a support for offices and buildings where there are a lot of people that constantly need access. When using this IoT device in healthcare, companies can measure in real time the body temperature of people, and trigger an alert when a scanned person shows a temperature above normal.
By using thermal cameras, companies can prevent the risk of infections with a virus; saving lives and avoiding a general health issue.
The pill dispenser is another IoT healthcare product we designed. This product works with a timer that activates at specific times of the day when a patient needs to take a pill. This IoT device guarantees the patient won’t forget to comply with the doctor’s prescription, therefore, the person will remain healthy thanks to the IoT product.
As you can see, there are many alternatives for the healthcare industry. The Internet of Things is demonstrating how powerful it can be, and this market will continue expanding in the upcoming years.
If you have a great idea for the healthcare industry and maybe you are planning to develop it, we could help you with our healthcare development services, it doesn’t matter on what phase you are right now with your product:
- Design
- Proof of concept
- Electronic prototyping
- Firmware development
- MVP testing
- Prototyping
- Rapid prototyping
- Product development
- Product upgrades
