How is Wearable Devices Revolutionizing Medical IoT?
Every conversation that seeks to define innovation in the IoT revolves on wearable devices. From 2016’s USD 5.31 billion market size, the wearable medical devices industry is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 18.3% between now and 2022, when it will be worth USD 14.41 billion (Source). Due to advancements in technology, patients may now keep a continual eye on their vital signs and save a lot of money on preventative care and checkups. One of the most effective integrations to telemedicine and telehealth besides the mobile is the use of wearable gadgets for this purpose. In this post, we’ll take a look at a few of the most vital parts of this universe.
Get to Know Your Wearable Devices
Devices that can be worn or mated with the human skin to continually and closely monitor an individual’s actions without disrupting user’s motions is the most accurate description of wearable electronics.
These days, you may find micro-sensors embedded in all sorts of wearable devices, from fabrics to consumer electronics to automated watches to belt-worn PCs to spectacles. As a result, they have evolved to serve a wider variety of uses.
With the help of health monitoring systems, wearable gadgets can be made smaller, vital signs may be measured, and data can be sent to smartphones in a secure and trustworthy manner. Therefore, tracking physiological characteristics in a real-world setting is a natural use case for wearable devices.
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Utilization of Wearable Technology in Medical Care
Since we no longer have time to do all we’d like to, we have to always be on the go. Because of this, many of us have neglected “health and fitness,” despite its centrality to our well-being. A trip to the doctor for a routine checkup can take a long time because of all the tests and procedures that need to be done, not to mention the time it takes to fill prescriptions and administer treatments. Most individuals only go to the doctor when they are sick, and this is the most compelling reason why. This frame of mind facilitates the discovery of other solutions, such as a wearable gadget with the capability of continually monitoring the user’s health. Users and doctors alike will benefit from the information these gadgets may give about their health. The majority of healthcare wearables are designed to achieve these aims.
The percentage of people who utilise wearable technology in the United States is now around 56%.
Eighty-eight per cent of doctors support patients keeping tabs on their vital signs at home.
One-third of businesses rely on wearable health equipment to enhance wellness initiatives and cut down on health insurance expenses.
In a period of 5 years, wearable technology may save hospitals 16% of their budget.
The following are some further healthcare uses of wearables IoT.
1) Motion Detection System
There are several important uses for human movement monitoring in fields including sports, medicine, and other academic disciplines. The danger of falls may be evaluated, qualifying sports workouts can be performed, and people’s behaviours can be analysed and monitored. The capacity of wearable trackers to do all these functions, to help users with their daily exercises, and to put activity management in the palm of their hands has contributed to their rapid rise in popularity throughout the world. They also inform users of their daily movements, such as the distance walked, which helps users maintain a healthy lifestyle.
2) Continuous Recording of Vitals
This is a perfect example of how the Internet of Things may revolutionise healthcare. As a result of constant monitoring, patients may now receive sufficient medical treatment. More than half of those who regularly use wearable devices think it has helped their mental health. Wearables improve medical attention and care for patients in far-flung locations or places with limited access to rapid medical treatment by making judicious use of complicated algorithms and their analysis. In a 25-year period, the healthcare sector can save almost $200 billion thanks to remote patient monitoring. There are already a plethora of wearable gadgets in use for monitoring vital signs and other medical data. Wearable technologies are making strides in multi-task vital signs measurement with the help of tools like electrocardiogram (ECG) and skin temperature regulators, etc.
3) To Enhance the Quality of Care for Patients
Thanks to the gadgets’ seamless integration, patients may adjust the environment to their liking, from the lighting to the music, and even contact loved ones or medical staff with the push of a button. The cloud also makes it possible for doctors to view their patients’ records remotely. As a result, both patients and healthcare providers may now enjoy a satisfying interaction with the system.
Wearables in healthcare IoT: Overcoming Obstacles
Access to reliable and user-friendly applications is a must for IoT devices. Researchers all around the world have developed many platforms and architectures, which have become the foundation of commercially available devices for measuring bio-medical parameters. But there are still numerous problems that require fixing. The four most important features that modern, market-leading platforms are lacking are as follows.
1) Quick and Safe Connections
A well-designed IoT platform will make it simple to link gadgets and carry out device management on three fronts: information gathering, information transfer to the hub, and information storage in the medical station. To protect the data and guarantee its correct delivery, the procedures must be carried out in the strictest of confidence. Data encryption is required for this purpose.
2) Use of Energy
One of the most important factors in giving the user simple device administration and continuous monitoring over lengthy periods of time is the power consumption of the device. Code efficiency, data packing, encryption, and compression are all connected to the number of monitored parameters.
3) Comfort in use
The primary purpose of wearable devices is biological monitoring. Therefore, this helps people to live longer and healthier lives. This is especially important to keep in mind for the elderly who will be utilising the gadgets. Therefore, such gadgets need to be portable and user-friendly. Devices that are lightweight, compact, and well-structured can readily meet these criteria over time.
4) The Probability of Information Loss
There is a risk of data loss during transmission from the data collector (microcontroller) to the recipient (smartphone or cloud storage). This limitation must be addressed by any reliable health monitoring system. Saving information temporarily in the microcontroller is one approach to this problem.
Conclusion
Wearable technology is becoming increasingly commonplace in many areas, from sports and fitness to health monitoring. It has made it possible for people to monitor a wide range of conditions in their homes and workplaces. Wearables and other Internet of Things gadgets are here to stay. Their acceptance and application are forecast to increase dramatically during the next years. IoT and wearables will undoubtedly play a significant role in healthcare as the Giants propel it to the forefront of IoT development offerings by Boodskap.