At the Cross-section of IoT and Healthcare

Facilitating machine to machine communication through internet is no longer an imagination but the reality. Known as IoT, the technology has already displayed how it can transform numerous landscapes that include supply chain management. Building solution and services around IoT is a novel approach in healthcare arena where patient interaction and monitoring are critical factors in the outcome of healthcare delivery.

But by using sensors, wearable devices, and other connected equipment, healthcare providers can improve the patient monitoring and care. IoT-enabled devices can expedite the communication with patients and deliver ease of medical data transfer. With patient monitoring in real-time through IoT devices, practitioners and provider can quickly learn about the medical condition and decide the course of treatment. They can monitor numerous crucial health indicators like heart rate, blood pressure, glucose level and proactively prescribe the medication in real –time. They can also deliver services remotely by harnessing internet nativity of these solutions.

Before deploying IoT-enabled solutions, healthcare providers will have to check a list of regulations as they will be transmitting patient data. As HIPAA and other federal regulations impel healthcare providers to follow stringent guidelines, operating IoT solution within regulatory framework is a challenge. Again, network security is a prime concern for the healthcare providers as a single breach may orchestrate a chain of unpleasant operational and business events. At the end of the day, healthcare providers have to balance compliance and data utilization for better healthcare outcomes.