Wearable Devices and the Revolution of Medical IoT
The integration of Internet of Things (IoT) technology in the medical field has brought about a paradigm shift in the way healthcare is administered. One of the most significant developments in this realm is the advent of wearable devices. These devices have the potential to revolutionize the way medical professionals monitor and treat patients, as well as the way individuals manage their own health.
In recent years, the market for wearable medical devices has grown at an unprecedented rate. According to a report by MarketsandMarkets, the global wearable medical device market is projected to reach $54 billion by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 17.4% during the forecast period from 2018 to 2023.
One of the key drivers of this market growth is the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Wearable devices can help individuals with these conditions to better manage their symptoms and prevent complications by providing real-time monitoring and tracking of vital signs. For example, smartwatches and fitness trackers can monitor heart rate, step count, and sleep patterns, while continuous glucose monitors can track blood sugar levels in real-time.
Another driver of the growth in the wearable medical device market is the increasing demand for remote patient monitoring. Wearable devices equipped with IoT technology can transmit data to healthcare providers in real-time, allowing them to remotely monitor patients and make adjustments to their treatment plans as needed. This can greatly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of care, particularly for patients in remote or underserved areas.
Wearable devices are also being used in the clinical setting to improve patient outcomes. For example, wearable devices such as the Zio XT Patch can be used to continuously monitor patients for cardiac arrhythmias, while the Embrace watch can detect seizures in patients with epilepsy.
However, the wearable medical device market is not without its challenges. One of the biggest challenges is data privacy and security. Wearable devices collect a vast amount of personal and medical information, and there is a risk that this information could be accessed or used without the individual’s consent. To address this issue, it is crucial that wearable medical devices are designed with robust security features and that individuals are fully informed about the data being collected and how it will be used.
Another challenge facing the wearable medical device market is the lack of standardization. There is currently no standardization in the design or functionality of wearable devices, which can make it difficult for healthcare providers to integrate these devices into their practices. To address this issue, there is a need for standardization in the design and functionality of wearable devices to ensure they can be easily integrated into the healthcare system.
Despite these challenges, the potential benefits of wearable devices in the medical field are undeniable. As the market for wearable medical devices continues to grow, it is likely that we will see even more innovative ways in which these devices can be used to improve patient outcomes and revolutionize the way healthcare is administered.
Challenges Faced by Wearables for medical IoT
IoT devices should be empowered with easy-to-use and robust application access. Worldwide, researchers have proposed multiple platforms and structures that have formed the base of commercial devices available for bio-medical parameter measurement. However, there are still many challenges that need to be addressed. Here are the four key capabilities that are missing from the leading platforms.
1. Simple and Secure Connectivity
A good IoT platform should enable easy connection of devices and perform device management functions on three levels data collection, data transmission to the hub, and permanent storage of observation values to the medical station. The steps should be carried out most securely to ensure accurate data transmission and to protect the data. For this, encryption is necessary.
2. Power Consumption
Power consumption is one of the most crucial things to provide the user with easy device management and long-term, uninterrupted monitoring. These factors can be correlated to the number of parameters being monitored, code efficiency, data packaging, encryption, and compression.
3. Wearability
Wearable devices are specifically designed for biomedical monitoring. This, in turn, assists individuals in living long and healthy lives. This point is more significant when elderly people are using the devices. Therefore, such devices must be easy to use and carry and offer users comfort. These requirements can be easily overcome by making light, small, and well-structured devices that can be used for a long duration.
4. Risk Associated with Data Loss
While the data is being transferred from the collecting element, microcontroller, to the smartphone or cloud storage, there are chances of disconnection that might lead to data loss. A safe health monitoring system must ensure to overcome this shortcoming. One of the potential solutions to this is temporary data saving in the microcontroller.
Conclusion
Wearable devices have been gaining worldwide popularity in diverse fields, including sports and fitness to health monitoring. It has enabled individual tracking of the number of parameters in their living or working environment. The IoT devices and wearables are here to stay. Their popularity and usage are expected to surge significantly over the next few years. As the Giants take it to the forefront of IoT development services It is evident that IoT and wearables will form a major part of the healthcare industry.
