Using IoT for In-Home Patient Care

Posted by Indrajeet on September 18th, 2019

Recent technological refinements in healthcare are enabling patients to receive on-time and tailored treatments. But the cost of basic healthcare is so high that the majority of patients cannot benefit from the latest developments. Implementing IoT solutions to healthcare has not only brought persistency but has enabled patients to avail of real-time diagnosis and treatment. Home health monitoring devices like defibrillators, scales, insulin pumps, CPAP machines, cardiac monitoring devices, and oxygen tanks are connected with IoT devices to update doctors/caregivers about their patient's health in real-time.

IoT enabled wearable devices like fitness bands are marketed as wellness solutions. Fitness bands or smartwatches collect vital health statistics throughout the day and transmit them wirelessly to smartphones, tablets, or computers. 

The following use cases demonstrate how IoT is improving in-home patient care solutions:  

• Ingestible Sensors: Proteus Digital Health has developed a system consisting of a sensor patch, a pill, and a smartphone. The one-square-millimeter sensor pill is coated with digestible metals like copper and magnesium. Upon swallowing, the sensors are activated by electrolytes within the body. These sensor pills transmit signals to the battery-powered patch worn by the users on their bodies. The data collected through these sensors are transferred to caregiver’s smartphones for regular updates. Ingestible pills can resolve problems surrounding chronic diseases to eliminate the need for endless checkups. 
• Moodables: Various software development companies have come up with mood-enhancing devices to alter the mood of patients with anxiety issues. Head-mounted wearable devices send low-intensity current to the brain designed specifically for elevating patient mood. In some cases, they even replace and reduce the dosage of antidepressant medications. These devices also claim to improve relaxation and curb problems of people with ADD or stress disorder.  
• Hearable Devices: BioSport hearable device is designed to track fitness metrics or biometric data using earbuds. The hearable device can track and monitor blood pressure, heartbeat, and other vital statistics. Patients with partial or complete deafness can use these wearables to amplify or obstruct selected sounds.

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